Use of the Satisfaction With Amplification in Daily Life Questionnaire to Assess Patient Satisfaction Following Remote Hearing Aid Adjustments (Telefitting)

Abstract

BackgroundHearing loss can affect approximately 15% of the pediatric population and up to 40% of the adult population. The gold standard of treatment for hearing loss is amplification of hearing thresholds by means of a hearing aid instrument. A hearing aid is an electronic device equipped with a topology of only three major components of aggregate cost. The gold standard of hearing aid fittings is face-to-face appointments in hearing aid centers, clinics, or hospitals. Telefitting encompasses the programming and adjustments of hearing aid settings remotely. Fitting hearing aids remotely is a relatively simple procedure, using minimal computer hardware and Internet access.ObjectiveThis project aimed to examine the feasibility and outcomes of remote hearing aid adjustments (telefitting) by assessing patient satisfaction via the Portuguese version of the Satisfaction With Amplification in Daily Life (SADL) questionnaire.MethodsThe Brazilian Portuguese version of the SADL was used in this experimental research design. Participants were randomly selected through the Rehabilitation Clinical (Espaco Reouvir) of the Otorhinolaryngology Department Medical School University of Sao Paulo. Of the 8 participants in the study, 5 were female and 3 were male, with a mean age of 71.5 years. The design consisted of two face-to-face sessions performed within 15 working days of each other. The remote assistance took place 15 days later.ResultsThe average scores from this study are above the mean scores from the original SADL normative data. These indicate a high level of satisfaction in participants who were fitted remotely.ConclusionsThe use of an evaluation questionnaire is a simple yet effective method to objectively assess the success of a remote fitting. Questionnaire outcomes can help hearing stakeholders improve the National Policy on Hearing Health Care in Brazil. The results of this project indicated that patient satisfaction levels of those fitted remotely were comparable to those fitted in the conventional manner, that is, face-to-face.

Teleaudiology Services for Rehabilitation With Hearing Aids in Adults: A Systematic Review

“…Nine studies evaluated the feasibility of tele-audiology HA consultations, procedures or intervention programmes with new (n = 6) and experienced HA users (n = 3). The majority of these were delivered in a synchronous mode focused on remote HA fitting consultation (Ferrari, Rasmussen, Paulsen, Andersen & Larsen, 2006;Campos & Ferrari, 2012;Reginato & Ferrari, 2014), and on one or more specific procedures that are part of conventional HA fitting or follow-up consultations, covering (i) physical and (ii) sensory management procedures such as fitting, programming (Penteado, Ramos, Battistella, Marone & Bento, 2012) and verification with real ear measurements (Ferrari & Bernardez-Braga, 2009), and a combination of programming and verification, fine-adjustments, (iii) instructions and (iv) counselling procedures (Pearce, Ching & Dillon, 2009;Penteado, Bento, Battistella, Silva & Sooful, 2014). In each case, the evaluation conducted in this review concluded that the feasibility was demonstrated as the evidence for the activity of remote HA programming, verification, fine-adjustments, instructions and counselling provided a Grade B of recommendation.…”

“…A speech-perception test was also conducted in one of these studies (Campos & Ferrari, 2012), with no differences observed, but details on the HA fitting conditions (aided or unaided) were not reported. In the other study, the satisfaction with hearing aids amplification was measured after a remote follow-up consultation and was assessed with the Satisfaction with Amplification in Daily Life (SADL) survey (Penteado, Bento, Battistella, Silva & Sooful, 2014). A limitation was that given the nature of the SADL questions, there was no period of adjustment to outcomes of the remote consultation before the patient was assessed.…”

“…Although the feasibility of conducting a number of hearing aid procedures was demonstrated (Ferrari, Rasmussen, Paulsen, Andersen & Larsen, 2006;Ferrari & Bernardez-Braga, 2009;Campos & Ferrari, 2012;Reginato & Ferrari, 2014;Pearce, Ching & Dillon, H, 2009;Penteado, Ramos, Battistella, Marone & Bento, 2012;Penteado, Bento, Battistella, Silva & Sooful, 2014), the evidence was such that translation in practice should be done with caution.…”

Satisfaction of Elderly Hearing Aid Users

“…This instrument was developed to quantify the degree of satisfaction with the use of a hearing aid, and allow for the identification of adverse aspects of adaptation of hearing aids. 6 The questionnaire was translated into Brazilian Portuguese with the title Satisfação com o Aparelho Auditivo em sua Vida Diária (Satisfaction with a Hearing Aid in your Daily Life), 8,9 and adapted versions of SADL have also been used in other studies in Brazil. [10][11][12] Depending on what one wishes to evaluate, and according to the purpose of each instrument, one can choose which questionnaire to use.…”

Tradução, Adaptação Cultural e Validação da Escala Satisfaction with Amplification in Daily Life para o Português de Portugal

“…12,13 A medida da satisfação com o uso de prótese auditiva na vida diária também tem sido estudada através do questionário Satisfaction with Amplification in Daily Life (SADL), desenvolvido e validado por diversos estudos. 4,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] Contudo, esta escala ainda não está traduzida e validada para o português de Portugal (PPt).…”