Abstract
The aim was to study the applicability of an eight-item questionnaire in evaluating the benefit derived from hearing-aid use. Since 1977, 3402 hard-of-hearing patients have been fitted with a hearing aid for the first time and followed up for 3 months in the Helsinki University Central Hospital. The questionnaire included eight situation-specific items in hearing: speech face-to-face, speech in a small and large group, loud speech, in telephone and radio/TV, doorbell, telephone signal. The scoring ranged from 0 to 16. After a 3 months' use of amplification, the questionnaire was completed again. The median (interquartile range) and arithmetic mean (standard deviation) of the prefitting scores were 5.0 (4.0–6.0) and 5.3 (2.33). The postfitting scores were 1.0 (0.0–2.0) and 1.1(1.17), respectively. The difference was highly significant. An eight-item questionnaire in the evaluation of hearing problems provided a reliable numerical score of disability. Follow-up is important to secure satisfactory results in rehabilitation, especially in old age.