Hearing Aids Reduce Daily-Life Fatigue and Increase Social Activity: A Longitudinal Study.
Jack A Holman, Avril Drummond, Graham Naylor
PMID 34747674WHAT IT FOUND
First-time hearing aid wearers reported less listening-related fatigue and more social activity over six months.
General fatigue did not change. The specific fatigue linked to the effort of hearing improved, and patients participated more in social life.
Key findings
01Listening-related fatigue scores significantly decreased in the hearing aid group compared to controls at all follow-up assessments.
02There was no significant difference between groups for general fatigue measured by the Fatigue Assessment Scale or Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory.
03Social activity levels increased significantly in the hearing aid group compared to controls, and social participation restrictions improved.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included mostly people with mild to moderate hearing loss, so results may not apply to those with severe or profound loss. The control group's social activity scores dropped between baseline and assessment 2, which may have exaggerated the relative improvement in the hearing aid group. The VFS-A-40 used was a pre-publication version with one item that has since been removed, which may have influenced physical fatigue subscale results. Participants were not randomized; the control group included both hearing aid users and non-users, and some 'control' participants were originally recruited for the intervention group but did not receive hearing aids. The study could not determine if the level of hearing aid use (rarely vs. always) influenced the outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The work was supported by the Medical Research Council and the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume hearing aids will reduce a patient's general daily fatigue. The study found no improvement in general fatigue measures, only in fatigue specifically related to the effort of listening. Patients with high general fatigue may need different interventions.