The International Tinnitus Journal

Satisfaction assessment with Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire on people using hearing aid having Real Ear Measurement (REM) eligibility

Aim: Benefit and satisfaction from hearing aids can be measured in different ways. The aim of this study is to evaluate the benefits and satisfaction of the users from the hearing aids whose fitting are done suitably for hearing loss including ear mould.

Material and method: In this study Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire which consists of 24 questions was used for hearing aid satisfaction assessment. Total 301 people having different type and degree hearing loss participated in the study. The ages of 141 men and 160 women participants were between 18-65 and the average age was 49.11 ± 13.89 year. 187 of the participants had hearing aid in only one ear and the 114 had in both ears. Degree of unilateral hearing loss was 31 slight, 64 moderate, 49 moderately severe, 35 severe and 8 profound. In the ear in which hearing aid was used, there was 134 sensorineural hearingloss, 53 mixture hearing loss. Degree of hearing loss of the people using hearing aid bilaterally was 24 slight, 79 moderate, 54 moderately severe, 48 severe and 23 profound. In 162 ears of people using hearing aid bilaterally there was sensorineural hearing loss and in 53 ears there was mixture hearing loss.

Results: In right ear average score of the maximum satisfaction was between 4.23-5.75 and in left ear it was between 4.20-5.72. While the degree of hearing loss was increasing, the average of satisfaction score was decreasing. In terms of using unilateral and bilateral hearing aid, statistically considerable difference was found. In terms of hearing loss statistically considerable difference couldn’t be found.

Conclusion: Satisfaction of hearing aid is decreasing inversely proportional with increasing of hearing loss (slight- profound degree) While the furthest satisfaction for right and left ear was slight degree, the least satisfaction was observed for profound hearing loss. Aid using satisfaction changes depend on using the aid in the right ear or in the left ear. Using bilateral hearing aid has increased patient satisfaction much more.