Operationalization of the Brief ICF Core Set for Hearing Loss: An ICF-Based e-Intake Tool in Clinical Otology and Audiology Practice.

The patient pilot was small: 11 patients took part after 47 were invited, a 23% response rate, and the authors say these highly motivated patients may not represent average patients. The tool was developed and tested only in Dutch, in one Dutch hospital setting, so its wording, response options, and care-system assumptions may not fit other countries or services. This paper reports item development and content assessment, not a field test of whether the tool improves intake, patient-centered care, communication, or hearing-related outcomes. The current version is not suitable for measuring treatment effectiveness because many constructs use only one or two items, which is too little for reliable evaluation. The planned traffic light summary could not be used yet because meaningful cutoffs had not been established. The patient interviews were done by a team member, and the interview guide used closed-ended questions, which may have narrowed what patients said. Some personal factor choices were based on expert consensus in a small group and may be arbitrary, such as treating embarrassment as a personal factor rather than an emotional reaction.

The study was financially supported by Stichting Het Heinsius-Houbolt Foundation. The authors report no conflict of interest.

Do not read this as evidence that the e-intake tool improves patient-centered care or hearing-related outcomes. It was developed and content-assessed in a small expert and patient sample, and the authors say its feasibility and use in practice still need further evaluation.