Teleaudiology hearing aid fitting follow-up consultations for adults: single blinded crossover randomised control trial and cohort studies

Figures & data

Figure 1. Study design used by the series of studies, and showing each step of the design, and the number of participants involved.

Table 1. Timing (before, during or after) of use of assessment tools in the four types of consultations over time.

	First fitting	First follow-up		Second follow-up		Outcome assessment consultation
	Before	During	End	During	End	During
COSI	x^a	x^b		x^b		x^b
IOI-HA	x					x
HAUQ						x
HAII		x^a		x^a,b		x^a,b
HASS-P			x		x
HASS-A			x		x

COSI: Client Oriented Scale of Improvement; HAII: Hearing Aid Issues Instrument; IOI-HA: International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids; HAUQ: Hearing Aid User’s Questionnaire; HASS-P: Hearing Aid Service Satisfaction for Patients/Participants; HASS-A: Hearing Aid Service Satisfaction for Audiologists; During: During consultation but prior to the intervention; End: At the end of consultation.

^aIdentification of issues; ^bMeasurement of the degree of change of issues as perceived by the participant.

Table 2. Comparisons of new and experienced HA users, and both sub-groups of new HA users and experienced HA users.

(A)										(B)
	New & Experienced HA users			New HA users			Experienced HA users			New vs Exp. G1	New vs Exp. G2	New G1 vs Exp. G2	New G2 vs Exp. G1
Variables	G1	G2	Total	G1	G2	Total	G1	G2	Total
Gender
Female	10 (35.7)	11 (39.3)	21 (37.5)	6 (42.9)	3 (21.4)	9 (32.1)	4 (28.6)	8 (57.1)	12 (42.9)
Male	18 (64.3)	17 (60.7)	35 (62.5)	8 (57.1)	11 (78.6)	19 (67.9)	10 (71.4)	6 (42.9)	16 (57.1)
Age (years)**	75.2 (±10), 50-90	74.2 (±9.2), 51-93	74.7 (±9.5), 50-93	72.7 (±10.4), 50-85	72.8 (±9.8), 51-86	75.7 (±9.9), 50-86	77.8 (±9.2), 61-90	75.64 (±8.7), 64-93	76.71 (± 8.9), 61-93
Age group
18–50 years	1 (3.6)	0	1 (1.8)	1 (7)	0	1 (3.6)	0	0	0
51–65 years	4 (14.3)	4 (14.3)	8 (14.3)	2 (14.4)	3 (21.4)	5 (17.8)	2 (14.4)	1 (7)	3 (10.7)
66–80 years	13 (46.4)	17 (60.7)	30 (53.6)	7 (50)	7 (50)	14 (50)	6 (42.8)	10 (71.5)	16 (57.2)
81–95 years	10 (35.7)	7 (25)	17 (30.4)	4 (28.6)	4(28.6)	8 (28.6)	6 (42.8)	3 (21.5)	9 (32.1)
4FPTA (dB HL)**
	R - 45.75 (±7.17), 15–85	R - 48 (±16.79), 14–90	R - 46.87 (±16.87), 14–90	R - 39.73 (±16.80), 15–85	R - 39.01 (±11.11), 14–57	R - 39.37 (±13.98), 14–85	R - 51.78 (±15.87), 30–79	R - 56.96 (±16.99), 27–90	R - 54.37 (±16.35), 27–90		R - t(26) = −3.30, p = 0.03	R - t(26) = −2.69, p = 0.012	R - t(26) = −2.46, p = 0.021
	L - 48.34 (±18.45), 10–86	L – 45.14 (±12.83), 20–117	L - 48.03 (±18.35), 10–117	L - 40.71 (±15.90), 10–74	L - 38.66 (±7.02), 20–49	L - 39.68 (±12.11), 10–74	L - 55.98 (±18.14), 27–86	L - 56.78 (±22.16), 27–117	L - 56.38 (±19.87), 27–90	L - t(26) = −2.36, p = 0.026		L - t(26) = −2.20, p = 0.037	L - t(26) = −3.33, p = 0.003
HL degree
Normal	R - 0	R - 1 (3.6)	R - 0	R - 0	R - 1 (3.6)	R - 1 (3.6)	R - 0	R - 0	R - 0			R - χ^2(4) = 10.933, p = 0.027	L - χ^2(3) = 10.111, p = 0.018
	L - 1 (3.6)	L - 0	L - 1 (1.8)	L - 1 (7.1)	L - 0	L - 0	L - 0	L - 0	L - 0
Mild	R - 8 (28.6)	R - 8 (28.6)	R - 17 (30.4)	R - 6 (42.9)	R - 6 (42.9)	R - 12 (42.9)	R - 2 (14.3)	R - 2 (14.3)	R - 4 (14.3)
	L - 7 (25)	L - 10 (35.7)	L - 17 (30.4)	L - 5 (35.7)	L - 7 (50)	L - 12 (42.9)	L - 2 (14.3)	L - 3 (21.4)	L - 5 (17.9)
Moderate	R - 14 (50)	R - 9 (32.2)	R - 23 ( 41.1)	R - 7 (50)	R - 6 (42.9)	R - 13 (46.4)	R - 7 (50)	R - 3 (21.4)	R - 10 (35.7)
	L - 11 (39.3)	L - 13 (46.4)	L - 24 (42.9)	L - 6 (42.9)	L - 7 (50)	L - 13 (46.4)	L - 5 (35.7)	L - 6 (42.9)	L - 11 (39.3)
Mod-severe	R - 3 (10.7)	R - 7 (25)	R - 10 (17.9)	R - 0	R - 1 (7.1)	R - 1 (3.6)	R - 3 (21.4)	R - 6 (42.9)	R - 9 (32.1)
	L - 5 (17.9)	L - 3 (10.7)	L - 8 (14.3)	L - 1 (7.1)	L - 0	L - 1 (3.6)	L - 4 (28.6)	L - 3 (21.4)	L - 7 (25)
Severe	R - 3 (10.7)	R - 2 (7)	R - 5 (9)	R - 1 (7.1)	R - 0	R - 1 (3.6)	R - 2 (14.3)	R - 2 (14.3)	R - 4 (14.3)
	L - 4 (14.3)	L - 1 (3.6)	L - 5 (9)	L - 1 (7.1)	L - 4 (14.3)	L - 1 (3.6)	L - 3 (21.4)	L - 1 (7.1)	L - 4 (14.3)
Severe Profound	R - 0	R - 1 (3.6)	R - 1 (1.8)	R - 0	R - 0	R - 0	R - 0	R - 1 (7.1)	R - 1 (3.6)
	L - 0	L - 1 (3.6)	L - 1 (1.8)	L - 0	L - 0	L - 0	L - 0	L - 1 (7.1)	L - 1 (3.6)
HL configuration ***
Sloping	R - 24 (85.7)	R - 18 (66.7)	R - 42 (75)	R - 12 (85.7)	R - 9 (69.2)	R - 21 (77.7)	R - 12 (85.7)	R - 9 (64.3)	R - 21 (75)
	L - 22 (81.5)	L - 19 (67.9)	L - 41 (74.5)	L - 12 (92.3)	L - 11 (78.6)	L - 23 (85.2)	L - 10 (71.4)	L - 8 (57.2)	L - 18 (64.3)
Linear	R - 4 (14.3)	R - 9 (33.3)	R - 13 (23.6)	R - 2 (14.3)	R - 4 (30.8)	R - 6 (22.2)	R - 2 (14.3)	R - 5 (35.7)	R - 7 (25)
	L - 5 (18.5)	L - 9 (32.1)	L - 14 (25)	L - 1 (7.7)	L - 3 (21.4)	L - 4 (14.8)	L - 4 (28.6)	L - 6 (42.8)	L - 10 (35.7)
HL symmetry
Symmetric	18 (64.3)	16 (57.1)	34 (60.7)	9 (64.3)	9 (64.3)	18 (64.3)	9 (64.3)	7 (50)	16 (57.1)
Asymmetric	10 (35.7)	12 (42.9)	22 (39.3)	5 (35.7)	5 (35.7)	10 (35.7)	5 (35.7)	7 (50)	12 (42.9)
HL type**
Sensorineural	R - 26 (93)	R - 23 (82.1)	R - 49 (87.5)	R - 14 (100)	R - 13 (93)	R - 27 (96.4)	R - 12 (87.5)	R - 10 (71.4)	R - 22 (78.6)			R - χ^2(1) = 4.667, p = 0.031
	L - 25 (92.6)	L - 25 (89.3)	L - 50 (91)	L - 12 (92.3)	L - 13 (93)	L - 25 (92.6)	L - 13 (93)	L - 12 (87.5)	L - 25 (89.3)
Mixed	R - 2 (7)	R - 5 (17.9)	R - 7 (12.5)	R - 0	R - 1 (7)	R - 1 (3.6)	R - 2 (14.3)	R - 4 (28.6)	R - 6 (21.4)
	L - 2 (7.4)	L - 3 (10.7)	L - 5 (9)	L - 1 (7.7)	L - 1 (7)	L - 2 (7.4)	L - 1 (7)	L - 2 (14.3)	L - 3 (10.7)
HA fitting
Monaural	1 (3.6)	1 (3.6)	2 (3.6)	1 (7)	1 (7)	2 (7)	0	0	0
Binaural	27 (96.4)	27 (96.4)	54 (96.4)	13 (93)	13 (93)	26 (93)	14 (100)	14 (100)	28 (100)
Total	n = 28	n = 28	n = 56	n = 14	n = 14	n = 28	n = 14	n = 14	n = 28

Legend: (A) Participants’ demographics per group (G1 and G2) and in total for three individual studies. (B) Comparisons on the distribution of participants demographics in G1 and G2 between new and experienced users (results of statistic tests showing only significant values (p < 0.05) of comparisons between and within groups) R: right ear; L: left ear; *p value <0.05; Exp.: experienced.

Note. Values are n (%), except for values with “**” symbol, where the values are mean (standard deviation), range; ***ear with normal hearing was excluded.

Pearson Chi-square test of homegeinety and independent samples t-tests were used. Significance values >0.05 were obtained for all the variables in (A), thereby they are not shown.