A Quasi-Randomized Controlled Trial of the I-PLAN Intervention to Promote Hearing Aid Use Among First-Time Adult Hearing Aid Users.
Afzarini H Ismail, Kevin J Munro, Christopher J Armitage and 2 others
PMID 34057373WHAT IT FOUND
A bundle of three fitting materials delivered by audiologists did not increase hearing aid use or benefit in first-time adult users.
At 6 weeks, reported use was 81.0% with the bundle and 79.6% with standard fitting; data-logged use was similar.
Key findings
01At 6 weeks, self-reported hearing aid use in difficult listening situations was 81.0% with the I-PLAN and 79.6% with standard care, and the I-PLAN had no impact on hearing aid use or benefit.
02Objective hearing aid use averaged 9.7 hours per day in the I-PLAN group and 8.8 hours per day in the standard care group, with no impact of the I-PLAN.
03The I-PLAN included three components, information about consequences, a hearing aid box reminder, and a written when-then plan, so the study cannot show which component mattered.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
Allocation was not random; it depended on appointment time and audiologist schedule, so groups may have differed in ways not measured. The standard care was already comprehensive, including real ear measurement and counseling, so there may have been little room for the I-PLAN to add benefit. Average hearing aid use was high at 9.3 hours per day, so the sample may not represent first-time users who are likely to underuse hearing aids. The I-PLAN delivered several behavior change techniques together, so the study cannot separate the contribution of any one component. Follow-up was only 6 weeks, so longer-term hearing aid use was not assessed. Attrition varied by outcome: 12 did not attend follow-up, 8 attended but did not return the questionnaire, 146 follow-up questionnaires were received, and 148 participants had data-logged hearing aid use. The I-PLAN group mean age was 73.7 years and the standard care group mean age was 70.4 years, a borderline difference.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The study was supported by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, International Islamic University Malaysia, NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, and NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that hearing aid fitting advice is ineffective. The standard care was already comprehensive and average hearing aid use was 9.3 hours per day, so this trial mainly tested the I-PLAN in people who already used hearing aids regularly.