Evidence-Based Support for Ida Tools and Person-Centered Care

By Clint McLean

The Ida Institute is pleased to share the reports of our Research Grant recipients from 2016. Their findings add to a growing body of evidence that demonstrates the value of person-centered care and Ida methods and tools in hearing healthcare.

Findings from the research include:

Living Well Tool Creates Patient-Centered Framework

Researchers explored the way audiologists convey information about communication and hearing loss management in appointments with adults with hearing loss and their communication partners.

The study found that using Living Well shifted the emphasis in appointments away from difficulties of living with hearing loss to more positive and proactive communication and lifestyle decisions.

The audiologists who participated in the study found that Living Well was a helpful, easy-to-use tool, particularly at the start of the session where it provided context that helped to determine client goals. Clients described Living Well as a good starting point for appointments that allowed them to fast-track discussion and spend valuable time on one-on-one problem solving with the clinician. Researchers concluded that the tool enabled them to move the focus of the appointment beyond the challenges of life with hearing loss to more positive aspects of hearing loss management, such as social engagement and successful communication.

Lead Researcher: Dr. Nerina Scarinci, The University of Queensland   
Co-Investigators: Dr. Carly Meyer, The University of Queensland, Dr. Katie Ekberg, The University of Queensland and Dr. Christopher Lind, Flinders University

Readiness for Rehabilitation

Researchers examined how incorporating the Motivation Tools into initial assessment appointments with adult clients can help audiologists better identify clients’ readiness for hearing rehabilitation.

Audiologists in the study who used the tools improved their ability to identify their clients’ stages in the patient journey and successfully determined clients’ readiness for rehabilitation and potential concerns regarding hearing aids. The findings emphasized the importance of initiating a discussion by using the tools and not relying solely on the clients’ scores. Evaluating only on the client’s scores can lead practitioners to over-estimate clients’ readiness to take action. These findings support the overall aim of the Motivation Tools as “conversation starters” and reinforced the need for audiologists to actively listen to clients’ responses.

Lead Researcher: Dr. Katie Ekberg, The University of Queensland
Co-Investigator: Dr. Caitlin Barr, The University of Melbourne 

Ototoxic Hearing Loss Among Childhood Cancer Survivors

Researchers explored the support needs of childhood cancer survivors and their parents during the hearing rehabilitation process.

Parents whose children acquire hearing loss through cancer treatment must deal with the stress of both cancer and hearing loss. Many of the children will need hearing aids and special support to help their language and speech skills develop. Their parents will need support to provide an environment that encourages listening, speech, and language skills.

In the study, parents, teachers, and audiologists all described the intense emotional demands on both parents and children. They also noted a frequent misunderstanding by parents of the far-reaching impact of hearing loss on their child’s wellbeing. Both teachers and audiologists acknowledged the families’ need for support of all kinds, but primarily social-emotional support to facilitate family adjustment. The researchers determined that audiologists and teachers of deaf and hard-of-hearing children need both person-centered and family-centered awareness and skills and are well positioned to provide limited but important support through collaboration and consistency.

Lead Researcher: Dr. Janet Jamieson, The University of British Columbia
Co-Investigators: Beth Brooks, MSc RAUD and Dr. Marla Buchanan, The University of British Columbia 

Since 2016, the Ida Institute Research Committee has awarded research grants to projects that investigate the outcomes of using Ida Institute tools and methods and develop evidence to show the effect of person-centered hearing care. Visit our Research Grant page to learn more about previous grant awardees and when Ida will launch our next call for applications.