Abstract
In children with mild to moderately severe unilateral hearing loss (UHL), assess whether subject-reported quality of life (QOL) and teacher- and parent-reported perception of listening difficulty are affected by use of a hearing aid (HA) with baseline accommodations, compared to children receiving only baseline accommodations. Randomized crossover clinical trial. Thirty-seven children 6-12 years of age with mild to moderately severe UHL and ≥80% word recognition scores in the poorer hearing ear were randomized into arm 1, using baseline accommodations (frequency-modulated system and strategic seating) for 12 weeks, followed by addition of a HA for 12 weeks. The other participants were randomized into the reverse methodology: arm 2, using a HA in addition to baseline accommodations for 12 weeks, followed by baseline accommodations alone. Surveys of QOL (Hearing Environments and Reflection on Quality of Life) and listening difficulties or challenges with hearing amplification (CHILD and LIFE-R questionnaires) were administered at 6-week intervals. Differences in mean survey scores, percent change, and improvement over time were computed between the two arms and inter-arm intervals. Per-protocol analysis was used. Of the 37 children enrolled, 34 children underwent the study interventions and were included in the analysis, (arm 1=20, arm 2=14) (mean [standard deviation] age=8 [1.5] years; 21 boys [61.8%]). Survey scores averaged across both arms during the HA interval (77.79 [15.13]) were significantly higher than during the baseline-only interval (69.67 [14.69], P=.036). There was no significant difference between trial arms in mean scores between the two HA intervals (P=.450) and two baseline-only intervals (P=.539). Hearing-related QOL and listening ability improved in children who met eligibility criteria with mild to moderately severe UHL with HA use compared with baseline accommodations alone. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02269124. 1 Laryngoscope, 132:881-888, 2022.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.