Comparing outcomes of ultra-low-cost hearing aids to programmable, refurbished hearing aids for adults with high frequency hearing loss in Malawi: a feasibility study.
Bhavisha Parmar, Mwanaisha Phiri, Louis Jailos and 5 others
PMID 37378050WHAT IT FOUND
Both devices improved hearing similarly.
Refurbished aids scored better on sound quality and dependability. LoCHAid users reported internal noise and low volume. Small sample and qualitative feedback indicate need for device refinement before efficacy conclusions.
Key findings
01Residual disability and listening effort improved significantly with both devices, with no difference between LoCHAid and refurbished aids.
02Participants using refurbished hearing aids reported significantly better sound naturalness, dependability, and help with understanding people compared to LoCHAid users.
03Qualitative feedback highlighted LoCHAid issues with internal noise, low volume, and headphone appearance, while refurbished aids were limited by battery availability.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Very small sample size (16 participants) limits statistical power and generalizability. Two participants withdrew, leading to unequal group sizes. Data collection was performed by clinicians who also fitted the devices, introducing potential bias. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused delays and staffing issues. Outcome measures were self-reported and translated for this study, lacking prior validation in the local population.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the Disability Impact Fund. Author BP is funded by NIHR and the Biomedical Research Centre. Author MSB acknowledges funding from Microsoft's AI for Accessibility program, NIH, and Open Philanthropy. No commercial conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that LoCHAid is equivalent to refurbished hearing aids based on this study. While functional improvements were similar, user satisfaction and sound quality ratings were significantly lower for LoCHAid, and the small sample size means these findings are preliminary and not definitive.