Development and evaluation of a hearing aid manual in the Malay language

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to (a) translate a hearing aid (HA) manual into Malay language and revise the translated manual based on best practice guidelines; (b) compare the effectiveness of the translated and the revised Malay HA manuals in helping individuals to perform HA management tasks.

Design: Cross-sectional, randomised, single-blinded study.

Study sample: An Oticon-Dynamo HA manual was translated and revised based on best practice guidelines. Ninety participants aged 55 years and above participated in this study. They were randomly assigned into the control group (received translated manual) and the experimental group (received the revised translated manual). The Hearing Aid Management (HAM) test, which was developed in a previous study, was conducted to evaluate participant’s ability to perform HA management tasks using the translated and the revised version of Malay HA manual.

Results: The revised Malay HA manual had a lower reading grade level relative to the initial translated Malay HA manual. The ability to perform HA management tasks was better in the experimental group (mean = 12.2, SD = 1.15) versus the control group (mean = 8.7, SD = 2.11).

Conclusion: Further revision of existing HA manuals based on best practice guidelines is recommended to help individuals better manage their HAs.

Keywords:

• Elderly
• manufacturer
• user guide
• hearing aid use
• health literacy

Acknowledgements

We thank the hearing aid suppliers in Malaysia (Oticon, Sonic, Starkey, Phonak, Signia, Unitron and Beltone) for their support and for providing their hearing aid manuals for this study. Thanks are also due to all subjects for their invaluable contributions to the study.