Do Hearing Aids Address Real-World Hearing Difficulties for Adults With Mild Hearing Impairment? Results From a Pilot Study Using Ecological Momentary Assessment.
Barbra H B Timmer, Louise Hickson, Stefan Launer
PMID 29956590WHAT IT FOUND
Ten adults with mild hearing loss reported better speech understanding, less listening effort, and more enjoyment when wearing hearing aids.
However, individual benefits varied widely, with one participant showing no improvement, suggesting hearing aids are not universally helpful for mild loss.
Key findings
01Participants reported significantly better speech understanding, less listening effort, and greater enjoyment when wearing hearing aids compared to baseline.
02Individual responses varied substantially: eight participants improved on all four hearing performance dimensions, one improved on three, and one reported no benefit.
03After removing the hearing aids, participants' self-rated hearing performance did not return to baseline levels for speech understanding, effort, or communication, possibly due to acclimatization or denial.
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 (10 participants) limits generalizability. Short intervention period (2 weeks) may not reflect long-term use or acclimatization. Lack of randomization and blinding. Withdrawal phase did not return to baseline, complicating interpretation of true aid effect vs. learning/denial. Participants were instructed to wear aids all day, which may not reflect naturalistic use.
Declared interests
Funder named: Sonova AG
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume hearing aids will improve speech understanding for all patients with mild hearing loss. One participant showed no benefit, and for others, gains were primarily in effort and enjoyment rather than pure understanding. Individual variation is high.