Hearing Aid Review Appointments: Attendance and Effectiveness

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Hearing aid reviews are crucial for optimizing device use and patient satisfaction.
• Understanding factors influencing attendance at hearing aid review (HAR) appointments is essential for improving audiological care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify participant factors linked to hearing aid review (HAR) appointment attendance.
• To determine if completing self-report surveys impacts HAR attendance.
• To assess the effectiveness of HAR appointments in addressing hearing aid problems and management deficiencies.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cohort study involving adult hearing aid users from a single Australian clinic.
• Participants received invitations for annual HAR appointments, including self-report surveys.
• Attendance and survey completion rates were tracked, with follow-up surveys sent to all participants.

Main Results:

• Younger participants and those living further from the clinic were less likely to attend HAR appointments.
• Survey completion did not significantly affect HAR appointment attendance.
• Attendance at HAR appointments led to a significant reduction in self-reported hearing aid problems.

Conclusions:

• Geographical distance is a potential barrier to attending hearing aid review appointments.
• HAR appointments are effective in resolving self-reported hearing aid issues, highlighting their clinical value.