The feasibility of an m-health educational programme (m2Hear) to improve outcomes in first-time hearing aid users.
Melanie A Ferguson, David W Maidment, Rachel Gomez and 2 others
PMID 33135503WHAT IT FOUND
First-time hearing aid users found this mobile educational programme easy to use, with 88% rating usability as high.
All participants accessed the site, and most preferred it to written information. Improvements in hearing aid handling and communication were seen, but the study cannot separate the benefit of the app from the hearing aids themselves.
Key findings
01Usability was rated highly by participants, with a System Usability Scale score of 88.5% and 98% agreeing the videos aided understanding.
02Participants showed significant improvement in hearing aid self-efficacy and knowledge, with large effect sizes, but this was measured alongside hearing aid use.
03The study could not determine the minimal important change for patients because 90.4% of participants reported their hearing had improved.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study lacked a control group, so any benefit observed cannot be separated from the effect of simply using hearing aids or natural adaptation over time. A technical problem prevented the researchers from tracking which specific learning modules participants used and when, limiting understanding of how the intervention was actually engaged with. The sample was restricted to adults who were already familiar with smartphone or tablet technology, so results may not apply to those with lower digital literacy. The study was designed for feasibility and did not have the power or design to determine clinical effectiveness. Participants were recruited from a single centre in the UK, which may limit generalisability to other healthcare systems or populations.
Declared interests
The research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Research for Patient Benefit Programme. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the m2Hear programme caused the improvements in hearing aid use or communication skills. The study had no control group, so the positive outcomes may be due to the hearing aids themselves or natural adjustment over the 10-week period.