Comparing response options for the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA) and for Alternative Interventions (IOI-AI) daily-use items
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Published on: February 2, 2020
Ariane Laplante-Lévesque1, Louise Hickson, Linda Worrall
1Communication Disability Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. arl@eriksholm.com
Objective:
This study investigated how clients quantify use of hearing rehabilitation. Comparisons focused on the daily-use item of the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA), and for Alternative Interventions (IOI-AI).
Design:
Adults with hearing impairment completed the original versions of the IOI-HA and the IOI-AI daily-use item which has five numerical response options (e.g. 1-4 hours/day) and a modified version with five word response options (e.g. 'Sometimes'). Respondents completed both IOI versions immediately after intervention completion and three months later.
Study Sample:
In total, 64 people who had obtained hearing aids completed both IOI-HA versions and 27 people who had participated in communication programs completed both IOI-AI versions.
Results:
Participants reported higher scores on the modified (word) daily-use item than on the original (number) daily-use item. Participants who completed the IOI-AI did so significantly more than participants who completed the IOI-HA. This was true both after intervention completion and three months later.
Conclusion:
This study showed that comparisons between IOI-HA and IOI-AI daily-use item scores should be made with caution. Word daily-use response options are recommended for the IOI-AI (i.e. Never; Rarely; Sometimes; Often; and Almost always).
