Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Carrera de Fonoaudiología, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avenida Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Macul, Santiago, Chile.
École d'orthophonie et d'audiologie, Faculté de médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
BMC Geriatr. 2019 Sep 3;19(1):245. doi: 10.1186/s12877-019-1260-6.
The percentage of older adults with hearing loss who stop using their hearing aids and the variables associated with this phenomenon have not been systematically investigated in South America. This problem is relevant to the region since countries such as Colombia, Brazil and Chile have public programmes that provide hearing aids to older adults. The aims of this study were to determine the percentage of older adults fitted with a hearing aid at a public hospital in Chile who subsequently stop using it and the auditory and socio-demographic variables associated with the hazard of discontinuing hearing aid use.
A group that included 355 older adults who had been fitted with a hearing aid was studied retrospectively. In a structured interview, participants were asked about socio-demographic variables and answered part of the Chilean National Survey on Health, evaluating self-perceived hearing loss and responding to questions about discontinuation of hearing aid use and their satisfaction with the device. Survival models were applied to determine the hazard of stopping hearing aid use in relation to the variables of interest.
The rate of discontinuation of hearing aid use reached 21.7%. Older adults stopped using their hearing aids mainly during the first 5-6 months post-fitting, and then this number steadily increased. The income fifth quintile was 2.56 times less likely to stop using the hearing aid compared to the first. Those who self-reported that they could not hear correctly without the hearing aid were 2.62 times less likely to stop using it compared to those who reported normal hearing. The group that was very dissatisfied with the hearing aid was 20.86 times more likely to discontinue use than those who reported satisfaction with the device.
Socio-demographic variables such as economic income and auditory factors such as self-perceived hearing loss and satisfaction with the device were significantly associated with the hazard of stopping hearing aid use. Self-perceived hearing loss should be considered part of the candidacy criteria for hearing aids in older adults in Chile and other (developing) countries.
在南美洲，尚未系统地调查过有听力损失的老年人停止使用助听器的比例以及与该现象相关的变量。该问题与该地区相关，因为哥伦比亚、巴西和智利等国家都有向老年人提供助听器的公共计划。本研究的目的是确定在智利的一家公立医院配备助听器的老年人中，随后停止使用该助听器的比例，以及与停止使用助听器的风险相关的听觉和社会人口统计学变量。
回顾性研究了 355 名配备助听器的老年人。在结构化访谈中，询问了参与者的社会人口统计学变量，并回答了智利国家健康调查的一部分，评估了自我感知的听力损失，并回答了有关停止使用助听器以及对设备的满意度的问题。应用生存模型来确定与感兴趣的变量相关的停止使用助听器的风险。
助听器使用率下降率达到 21.7%。老年人主要在佩戴后的头 5-6 个月内停止使用助听器，然后这个数字稳步增加。与收入第五五分位数相比，收入第一五分位数停止使用助听器的可能性降低了 2.56 倍。那些报告没有助听器就无法正确听到的人，与报告正常听力的人相比，停止使用助听器的可能性降低了 2.62 倍。对助听器非常不满意的人群，与报告对设备满意的人群相比，停止使用助听器的可能性高 20.86 倍。
社会人口统计学变量（如经济收入）和听觉因素（如自我感知的听力损失和对设备的满意度）与停止使用助听器的风险显著相关。自我感知的听力损失应被视为智利和其他（发展中）国家为老年人验配助听器的候选标准的一部分。
