Self-reported outcomes of aural rehabilitation in a developing country

The aim of this study was to evaluate self-reported outcomes among hearing aid users (age 16-89 years; mean 45.8 years) to determine the effectiveness of aural rehabilitation in Nigeria based on the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA). The responses were evaluated with descriptive statistics, factor analysis of the principal components and multiple regressions. Most respondents reported favorable outcomes in all domains of the inventory, comprising: daily use (mean 4.1; SD 1.2), benefits (mean 3.5; SD 1.1), residual activity limitation (mean 3.4; SD 1.2), satisfaction (mean 3.7; SD 1.2), residual participation restriction (mean 3.5; SD 1.3), impact on others (mean 3.4; SD 1.3) and changes in quality of life (mean 3.8; SD 1.0). The mean score distribution compared favorably with those reported in the developed world. There were significant intercorrelations among all items, and two factors (eigenvalue>1) accounted for 68% of the underlying variance. Impact on others was the only domain associated with demographic/audiologic variables. The study showed that aural rehabilitation is feasible and effective in enhancing activity and participation for the hearing impaired in a developing country.