Open Collections

Angelozzi, Kaitlyn

University of British Columbia

Objective: Real-ear measurement (REM) verification is the gold standard for fitting hearing aids, and research indicates that patients perceive and derive greater benefit from, and have a preference for, hearing aids fitted using REM verification to hearing aids fit without REM verification. However, the majority of clinicians in the United States do not dispense hearing aids using REM verification. Furthermore, a large majority of hearing aid candidates either do not have, or do not often wear their hearing aids, and studies have indicated that one factor for low hearing aid use is lack of counselling and support from the clinician. Although the idea of counselling during REM is valued by audiologists, and a visual counselling tool for REM is available, there is a gap in clinician knowledge on how to approach this counselling. Therefore, a verbal counselling tool is needed to support clinicians in implementing counselling during REM. This study identified the key ideas to communicate during REM informational counselling and created a modifiable script that clinicians can use when conducting REM informational counselling. Methods: Through a modified concept mapping design, 17 experts participated in brainstorming statements that contained the most important ideas to convey during REM informational counselling. Researchers sorted the brainstormed statements, and 9 of the participants then rated the statements based on importance and feasibility. Five of the 9 participants took part in a focus group during which they discussed the statements that were both most important and most feasible and how these statements could be used in a script for REM informational counselling. Results: Brainstorming generated 227 statements. Researchers cleaned and recirculated the statements to participants for further ideas, resulting in 136 statements for sorting and rating. Sorting yielded 8 categories. The final script included 57 statements, some of which were duplicate ideas with alternate wording. Conclusion: This study identified the key ideas to be conveyed during REM informational counselling and produced a modifiable script that clinicians can use when conducting REM informational counselling.

Text

2023-06-06

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/84791

Audiology and Speech Sciences

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/