eHealth parent education for hearing aid management: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: Parents frequently experience challenges implementing daily routines important for consistent hearing aid management. Education that supports parents in learning new information and gaining confidence is essential for intervention success. We conducted a pilot study to test an eHealth program to determine if we could implement the program with adherence and affect important behavioural outcomes compared to treatment as usual. Design: Randomised controlled trial. Study sample: Parents of children birth to 42 months who use hearing aids. Eighty-two parents were randomly assigned to the intervention or treatment-as-usual group. Four parents assigned to the intervention group did not continue after baseline testing. Results: The intervention was delivered successfully with low drop out (10%), high session completion (97%), and high program adherence. The intervention conditions showed significantly greater gains over time for knowledge, confidence, perceptions, and monitoring related to hearing aid management. Significant differences between groups were not observed for hearing aid use time. Conclusion:We found that we could successfully implement this eHealth program and that it benefitted the participants in terms of knowledge and confidence with skills important for hearing aid management. Future research is needed to determine how to roll programs like this out on a larger scale.

Barriers and facilitators to paediatric caregivers’ participation in virtual speech, language, and hearing services: A scoping review

“…Under half of the studies had inclusion criteria that required caregivers to have access to technologies to participate, which included access to reliable internet ( n = 12), devices with videoconferencing capabilities ( n = 5), and webcams ( n = 2). 61 , 66 , 69 , 73 , 76 , 80 , 89 , 95 , 103 , 107 , 108 To ensure access to reliable internet, one study had caregivers conduct an online internet speed-test the day before their appointment at the same time as the scheduled appointment. 72…”

Breaking Sound Barriers: Exploring Tele-Audiology’s Impact on Hearing Healthcare

“…The study also confirmed that patients' adherence to RLOs were higher than their adherence to educational booklets. In a randomized controlled trial performed by Muñoz et al, 82 parents of children (birth to 42 months) who used hearing aids were included in the hearing aid education program, and half of them were assigned to the eHealth group while the other half were assigned to the treatment-as-usual group [50]. The eHealth program contained eight videos of tutorials and weekly phone calls to assess the participants' experience with the program and the progress they had made.…”

“…The eHealth group showed improvements in knowledge, parent perceptions, confidence, and monitoring compared to the control group, with significant differences in knowledge and confidence at the end of the study. Muñoz et al recommended further research is needed, including a larger, more diverse demographic sample and more dynamic support from the healthcare providers [50].…”

Parents’ Perceptions of the Factors Influencing the Uptake of Remote Pediatric Hearing Aid Support: Development of a Conceptual Framework

“…The benefits of family-centered engagement in virtual care are starting to appear in the hearing health care literature. For example, Muñoz et al [ 9 ] reported improved parental knowledge, confidence, and abilities to manage their child’s hearing aid following a randomized control trial on the topic of eHealth parent education specific to hearing aid management intervention. The literature also reported positive parent experiences with virtual support interventions, indicating that the sessions they were provided with were effective for supporting their partnership with service providers [ 10 ].…”