Follow-up survey of the elderly who failed a hearing screening protocol

A combined use of pure-tone screening and the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) has been proposed by Ventry and Weinstein (Asha 1983;25:37-42) to meet an increasing need to identify the elderly with possible hearing problems. The purpose of this study was to discern what follow-up action was taken by the individuals who failed the protocol and received a referral. One hundred and seventy-seven elderly people were screened. Thirty-eight (22%) out of 177 people received either Priority 1, 2, or 3 and were referred for further audiological or medical evaluations. Out of these 38, 25 were contacted for a follow-up telephone interview approximately 4 months after the screening. Thirteen (52%) out of 25 individuals followed our recommendation and received further evaluation. Audiological or medical treatment was recommended for all these individuals, 11 (85%) of whom actually accepted recommended treatment. The remaining 12 out of 25 individuals did not seek further evaluation for various reasons. This study presented several scenarios of what happened to those elderly people who failed the Ventry and Weinstein screening protocol.