eHealth parent education for hearing aid management: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Pediatric care
• Digital health interventions

Background:

• Parental challenges in daily hearing aid management routines.
• Education is crucial for successful intervention and parental confidence.
• Need for effective support for hearing aid management in young children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot an eHealth program for hearing aid management.
• To assess program adherence and impact on behavioral outcomes.
• To compare the eHealth program against treatment as usual.

Main Methods:

• Randomized controlled trial with 82 parents of children (birth to 42 months) using hearing aids.
• Intervention group received eHealth program; control group received treatment as usual.
• Data collected on adherence, knowledge, confidence, perceptions, and hearing aid use.

Main Results:

• Successful program implementation with low dropout (10%) and high adherence (97%).
• Significant improvements in parental knowledge, confidence, perceptions, and monitoring of hearing aid management.
• No significant group differences observed in hearing aid use duration.

Conclusions:

• The eHealth program is feasible and beneficial for enhancing parental skills in hearing aid management.
• Future research should focus on scaling up such digital health interventions.
• Positive impact on parental confidence and knowledge supports early intervention success.