Hearing and Functioning in Everyday Life Questionnaire: Development and Validation of an ICF-Based Instrument

Area of Science:

• Audiology and Rehabilitation
• Health Outcomes Measurement
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Existing audiological rehabilitation outcome measures often lack multidimensionality.
• Current instruments partially capture the everyday functioning of individuals with hearing loss.
• There is a need for comprehensive self-assessment tools in audiological rehabilitation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a new self-assessment instrument for hearing loss.
• To investigate the content validity of the Hearing and Functioning in Everyday Life Questionnaire (HFEQ).
• To base the instrument on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) Core Set for Hearing Loss.

Main Methods:

• A two-part instrument development study was conducted.
• Item generation involved an experts' workshop.
• International content validation utilized group interviews with 30 adults with hearing loss from diverse countries.

Main Results:

• The initial version of the HFEQ comprised 30 items.
• Content validation indicated the HFEQ's relevance, comprehensiveness, and comprehensibility.
• Most items (73%) were perceived as relevant and comprehensible; minor revisions are planned for others.

Conclusions:

• Content validation of the HFEQ shows promising results for assessing everyday functioning.
• The HFEQ has potential as a valuable tool in audiological rehabilitation and research.
• Further psychometric validation, including construct validity and reliability, is necessary.