Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Virtual Hearing Lab, Collaborative initiative between University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, and University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Am J Audiol. 2024 Sep 3;33(3):728-739. doi: 10.1044/2024_AJA-23-00245. Epub 2024 May 20.
Hearing aids play a pivotal role in mitigating the impact of hearing loss, yet their adoption and consistent usage remains suboptimal. Understanding the hearing aid needs of individuals with hearing loss is important to support uptake, use, and outcomes. The current study describes users' perspectives on how hearing aids can be improved.
A cross-sectional, qualitative, content analysis design was used for an open-ended question from an online survey, exploring user perspectives on hearing aid improvements. Participants were adult hearing aid users in the United States, surveyed from the HearingTracker and Lexie Hearing user database.
A total of 628 participants ( = 66 years) were surveyed. The majority of participants used bilateral, behind-the-ear hearing aids that were obtained either through a hearing health care professional or online. Three domains, highlighting areas for hearing aid improvement, were identified. (a) The hearing aid features domain described user issues surrounding physical appearance and fit, general features, streaming, battery functionality, adjustments, smartphone applications, and hearing aid-related accessories. There was dissatisfaction with aesthetics and functionality, with a notable desire for improvements in physical appearance and fit ( = 161), and features to improve self-efficacy. (b) The sound quality domain described user issues surrounding sound perception and difficult situations. Participants highlighted unmet needs for clarity, especially in noisy environments ( = 143). (c) The service-delivery domain described user issues surrounding audiology services and general satisfaction, with criticisms centered on the high cost of hearing aids ( = 193) and the credibility of hearing health care professionals.
Hearing aid users appreciated current technological advances but expressed a need for improvements, to better align devices with their requirements. Key areas included physical aesthetics, user control over device adjustments, sound clarity, cost accessibility, and trust between the user and hearing health care professional. Future designs should focus on features enhancing user autonomy and self-efficacy.
助听器在减轻听力损失影响方面发挥着关键作用，但它们的采用和持续使用情况仍不理想。了解听力损失患者的助听器需求对于支持采用、使用和结果至关重要。本研究描述了用户对如何改进助听器的看法。
使用横断面、定性、内容分析设计，对来自在线调查的开放式问题进行研究，探索用户对助听器改进的看法。参与者是美国的成年助听器使用者，他们来自 HearingTracker 和 Lexie Hearing 用户数据库。
共有 628 名参与者（年龄 66 岁）接受了调查。大多数参与者使用双侧、耳后助听器，这些助听器是通过听力保健专业人员或在线获得的。确定了三个领域，突出了助听器改进的领域。(a)助听器功能域描述了用户在物理外观和适配、一般功能、流媒体、电池功能、调整、智能手机应用程序和助听器相关配件方面的问题。用户对外观和功能不满意，明显希望改进物理外观和适配（=161），并改进自我效能的功能。(b)音质域描述了用户在声音感知和困难情况下的问题。参与者强调需要提高清晰度，特别是在嘈杂的环境中（=143）。(c)服务提供域描述了用户对听力学服务和总体满意度的问题，批评集中在助听器的高成本（=193）和听力保健专业人员的可信度上。
助听器使用者欣赏当前的技术进步，但表示需要改进，以使设备更好地满足他们的需求。关键领域包括物理美观、用户对设备调整的控制、声音清晰度、成本可及性以及用户和听力保健专业人员之间的信任。未来的设计应侧重于增强用户自主性和自我效能的功能。
