Time of Day and Hearing Aid Adoption

To date, there is little understanding of how contextual factors may influence the decisions individuals make regarding the adoption of options for hearing rehabilitation. This explorative retrospective study investigated whether hearing aid adoption and return rates are associated with the time of the day at which an appointment takes place. The study sample consisted of 24,842 patients experiencing their first audiology appointment. It was observed that hearing aid adoption was significantly associated with appointment times whereby lower hearing aid adoption rates were observed at noon and 4 p.m. It was also observed that hearing aid return rates were significantly associated with appointment times whereby lower return rates were observed at noon and 4 p.m. In light of the methodology employed in the study, it is not possible to unequivocally determine why time of day is associated with hearing aid adoption and return rates. Several possible explanations for the patterns of associations are discussed. In light of previous research observing that hunger lowers risk tolerance and glucose consumption increases risk tolerance, the results are consistent with an interpretation based on risk-aversion resulting from hunger. To establish causality between hunger and decision-making in audiology, additional research employing experimental methodologies are necessary.

Assistive hearing technologies among students with hearing impairment: factors that promote satisfaction

Hearing technology can play an essential part in the education of deaf and hard-of-hearing children in inclusive schools. Few studies have examined these children's experiences with this technology. This article explores factors pertaining to children's use of and attitudes toward hearing technologies, such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, teacher-worn microphones, and student-worn microphones. The study included 153 deaf and hard-of-hearing students. All students communicated orally and were in inclusive schools from grades 5-10. The results suggest that males view hearing technology more positively than do females. Having severe hearing loss also promoted positive attitudes toward hearing aids and cochlear implants, but not toward microphones. The students with positive self-descriptions tended to be more satisfied with hearing aids or cochlear implants than the students with negative self-descriptions. The main factors promoting the use of hearing aids were severe hearing loss, positive attitudes toward hearing aids, and the sound quality of hearing aids.

Factors in client-clinician interaction that influence hearing aid adoption

The influence of client-clinician interactions has not been emphasized in hearing health care, despite the extensive evidence of the impact of the provider-patient interaction on health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to identify factors in the client-clinician interaction that may influence hearing aid adoption. Thirteen adults who had received a hearing aid recommendation within the previous 3 months and 10 audiologists participated in a study to generate, sort, and rate the importance of factors in client-clinician interaction that may influence the hearing aid purchase decision. A concept mapping approach was used to define meaningful clusters of factors. Quantitative analysis and qualitative interpretation of the statements resulted in eight concepts. The concepts in order of their importance are (a) Ensuring client comfort, (b) Understanding and meeting client needs, (c) Client-centered traits and actions, (d) Acknowledging client as an individual, (e) Imposing undue pressure and discomfort, (f) Conveying device information by clinician, (g) Supporting choices and shared decision making, and (h) Factors in client readiness. Two overarching themes of client-centered interaction and client empowerment were identified. Results highlight the influence of the client-clinician interaction in hearing aid adoption and suggest the possibility of improving hearing aid adoption by empowering clients through a client-centered interaction.

The influence of nonaudiological variables on audiological rehabilitation outcomes

The link between nonaudiological variables and outcomes measurement is explored. Hearing impairment can affect an individual's everyday communication in numerous ways. Both audiological and nonaudiological variables interact with each other to produce a unique predicament for each individual with hearing impairment. The nonaudiological variables that are addressed in this article include race/ethnicity, gender, age, personality, self-efficacy, and social support, as well as a number of other factors. Some of these variables, such as personality, have been found to exert more influence than audiological factors on audiological rehabilitation outcomes. The potential influence of each variable is discussed and directions for future research are provided.