Prediction of the use of conventional hearing aids in Korean adults with unilateral hearing impairment |
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| Authors: | Dong-Hee Lee Heil Noh |
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| Institution: | 1. *Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Uijeongbu City, Gyeonggi-do, Korea;2. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, St. Vincent's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Suwon City, Gyeonggi-do, Korea |
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| Abstract: | Objective: To determine the use of a hearing aid at six months post-fitting and to evaluate the predictors of its ongoing use in Korean adults with unilateral hearing impairment (HI). Design: Retrospective study at a secondary referral hospital over a 15-year period. Study sample: This study analysed 119 adults with unilateral HI who had been recommended for hearing amplification (55 men and 64 women, mean age, 58.0 ± 11.7 years). Six months after the fitting, all of the participants were surveyed regarding subsequent decisions and actions about obtaining hearing aids. Results: General uptake rate for a hearing aid was 68.1% (58.0% of participants surveyed were successful users, and 10.1% were intermittent users). The most significant parameter associated with hearing-aid use was social and/or work activities (R2 = 0.457), and the significant predictors for successful hearing-aid use were social and/or work activities and method of signal processing (discriminatory power = 56.3%). Conclusions: Six months post-fitting, 68.1% of Korean adults with unilateral HI who had agreed to try a hearing aid continued to use it regularly. The predictors for hearing-aid use six months post-fitting included social and/or work activities and digital signal processing. |
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| Keywords: | Hearing aids unilateral hearing loss hearing disorders |
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