Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol. 2022 Mar 4. doi: 10.21053/ceo.2021.00948. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Despite sufficient hearing gains, many patients with hearing loss have difficulty using hearing aids due to poor word recognition ability. This study was performed to introduce our hearing rehabilitation therapy (HRT) program for hearing aid users and to evaluate its effect on hearing improvement.
STUDY DESIGN: Prospective randomized case-control study.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirty-seven participants with moderate to moderate-severe sensorineural hearing loss who had used bilateral hearing aids for more than three months with sufficient functional hearing gain were enrolled in this study. Nineteen participants were randomly assigned to the control group (CG) and 18 patients were assigned to participate in our HRT program once a week for eight consecutive weeks (hearing rehabilitation therapy group, HRTG). Their h earing results and questionnaire scores regarding hearing handicap and hearing aid outcomes were prospectively collected and compared between the two groups.
RESULTS: After completing eight weeks of the HRT program, the HRTG showed significantly higher delta score of consonant-only and consonant-vowel sound perception compared to the CG (p<0.05). In addition, the HRTG had a significant improvement in hearing ability as measured by two questionnaires (p<0.05), while no differences were observed in the CG. However, word and sentence recognition test results did not show significant differences between the two groups.
CONCLUSION: Even after short-term HRT, patients had subjectively better hearing outcomes and improved phoneme perception ability; this provides scientific evidence regarding a possible positive role for HRT programs in hearing aid users. Further validation in a larger population with a long-term follow-up study is needed.
PMID:35255665 | DOI:10.21053/ceo.2021.00948
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