Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
University College London, UCL Ear Insitute and UCLH Biomedical Research Centre, National Institute for Health Research, London, United Kingdom.
Front Public Health. 2022 Jan 14;9:669727. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.669727. eCollection 2021.
Hearing loss is a major public health challenge. Audiology services need to utilise a range of rehabilitative services and maximise innovative practice afforded by technology to actively promote personalized, participatory, preventative and predictive care if they are to cope with the social and economic burden placed on the population by the rapidly rising prevalence of hearing loss. Digital interventions and teleaudiology could be a key part of providing high quality, cost-effective, patient-centred management. There is currently very limited evidence that assesses the hearing impaired patient perspective on the acceptance and usability of this type of technology.
This study aims to identify patient perceptions of the use of a hearing support system including a mobile smartphone app when used with Bluetooth-connected hearing aids across the everyday life of users, as part of the EVOTION project.
We applied a questionnaire to 564 participants in three countries across Europe and analysed the following topics: connectivity, hearing aid controls, instructional videos, audiological tests and auditory training.
Older users were just as satisfied as younger users when operating this type of technology. Technical problems such as Bluetooth connectivity need to be minimised as this issue is highly critical for user satisfaction, engagement and uptake. A system that promotes user-controllability of hearing aids that is more accessible and easier to use is highly valued. Participants are happy to utilise monitoring tests and auditory training on a mobile phone out of the clinic but in order to have value the test battery needs to be relevant and tailored to each user, easy to understand and use. Such functions can elicit a negative as well as positive experience for each user.
Older and younger adults can utilise an eHealth mobile app to complement their rehabilitation and health care. If the technology works well, is tailored to the individual and in-depth personalised guidance and support is provided, it could assist maximisation of hearing aid uptake, promotion of self-management and improving outcomes.
听力损失是一个主要的公共卫生挑战。听力学服务需要利用一系列康复服务，并最大限度地利用技术创新实践，积极促进个性化、参与式、预防性和预测性护理，如果要应对人口中听力损失迅速增加给社会和经济带来的负担。数字干预和远程听力学可能是提供高质量、具有成本效益、以患者为中心的管理的关键部分。目前，评估听力障碍患者对这种类型技术的接受度和可用性的证据非常有限。
本研究旨在确定患者对使用听力支持系统的看法，包括在日常生活中与蓝牙连接的助听器一起使用的移动智能手机应用程序，这是 EVOTION 项目的一部分。
我们在欧洲三个国家向 564 名参与者应用了一份问卷，并分析了以下主题：连接性、助听器控制、教学视频、听力学测试和听觉训练。
操作这种类型的技术时，老年用户和年轻用户一样满意。需要尽量减少蓝牙连接等技术问题，因为这对用户满意度、参与度和采用率至关重要。一个促进用户对助听器的可控制性、更易访问且更易用的系统受到高度重视。参与者愿意在手机上进行诊所外的监测测试和听觉训练，但为了使其具有价值，测试电池需要针对每个用户相关且量身定制，易于理解和使用。这些功能可能会对每个用户产生积极和消极的体验。
老年和年轻成年人都可以使用电子健康移动应用程序来补充他们的康复和医疗保健。如果技术运行良好，针对个人定制，并且提供深入的个性化指导和支持，它可以帮助最大限度地提高助听器的采用率，促进自我管理并改善结果。
