Journal article
Long-Term Effectiveness of Screening for Hearing Loss: The Screening for Auditory Impairment-Which Hearing Assessment Test (SAI-WHAT) Randomized Trial
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS), Vol.58(3), pp.427-434
03/2010
DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.02738.x
PMID: 20398111
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the effect of hearing screening on long-term hearing outcomes in a general population of older veterans.
DESIGN
Hearing loss in the elderly is underdetected and undertreated. Routine hearing screening has been proposed, but it is not clear whether screening identifies patients who are sufficiently motivated to adhere to treatment. A four-arm randomized clinical trial was conducted to compare three screening strategies with no screening in 2,305 older veterans seeking general medical care.
SETTING
Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System.
INTERVENTIONS
The screening strategies were a tone-emitting otoscope, a widely used questionnaire about hearing handicap, and a combination of both tools.
MEASUREMENTS
Hearing aid use 1 year after screening.
RESULTS
Of participants who underwent screening with the tone-emitting otoscope, questionnaire, and combined testing, 18.6%, 59.2%, and 63.6%, respectively, screened positive for hearing loss (P <.01 for test of equality across three arms). Patients proceeded to formal audiology evaluation 14.7%, 23.0%, and 26.6% of the time in the same screening arms, compared with 10.8% in the control arm (P <.01 for test of equality across four arms). Hearing aid use 1 year after screening was 6.3%, 4.1%, and 7.4% in the same arms, compared with 3.3% in the control arm (P <.01). Hearing aid users experienced significant improvements in hearing-related function and communication ability.
CONCLUSION
In older veterans, screening for hearing loss led to significantly more hearing aid use. Screening with the tone-emitting otoscope was more efficient. The results are most applicable to older populations with few cost barriers to hearing aids.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Long-Term Effectiveness of Screening for Hearing Loss: The Screening for Auditory Impairment-Which Hearing Assessment Test (SAI-WHAT) Randomized Trial
- Creators
- Bevan Yueh - University of MinnesotaMargaret P. Collins - University of WashingtonPamela E. Souza - University of WashingtonEdward J. Boyko - University of MinnesotaCarl F. Loovis - University of WashingtonPatrick J. Heagerty - University of WashingtonChuan-Fen LiuSusan C. Hedrick - University of Minnesota
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS), Vol.58(3), pp.427-434
- DOI
- 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.02738.x
- PMID
- 20398111
- NLM abbreviation
- J Am Geriatr Soc
- ISSN
- 0002-8614
- eISSN
- 1532-5415
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Number of pages
- 8
- Grant note
- Veterans Health Administration; US Department of Veterans Affairs 99-377 / Health Services Research and Development Service of the Veterans Health Administration Department of Veterans Affairs; US Department of Veterans Affairs CD-98318 / Health Services Research and Development Service; US Department of Veterans Affairs
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/2010
- Academic Unit
- Otolaryngology
- Record Identifier
- 9984966852402771
Metrics
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