New research finds that online audiologic rehabilitation programs can provide substantial long-term benefits to people living with hearing loss. The research can help pave the way to an expansion of hearing care services and educational programs delivered via the Internet.
As part of her PhD research at Linköping University, Elisabet Sundewall Thorén conducted four studies to explore the effectiveness of online surveys and rehabilitation courses. Her studies found that the Internet is a valuable and effective method to provide rehabilitation and education programs for persons with hearing loss.
One study involved a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a five-week online rehabilitation intervention. The intervention involved five activities: reading, home training, online interactions with a hearing care professional, online discussion groups with other participants, and exams. Seventy-six experienced hearing aid users participated in the study. Half received the intervention, and the other half were in a control group.
Participants who completed the online program showed significant long-term benefits in comparison to the control group. Even though participants had already gone through an audiological rehabilitation program and a hearing aid fitting, the online course helped participants increase their engagement in activities that they had previously stopped or avoided. The online program, which included professional guidance by an audiologist, significantly decreased participation restriction and activity limitation as measured by the online HHIE questionnaire.
Moreover, the study found that there is a long-term effect of using online tools in the rehabilitation process. The researchers observed a decrease of participation restriction and activity limitation 3 months after the online program concluded.
Thorén sees the Internet as an untapped resource for hearing care professionals and clinics. By entering the online space, professionals can expand the amount of services and information they provide to the patient, as they are not constrained by the time limits of a consultation session.
“In our studies, we found that online rehabilitation programs can be a very successful medium to help people with lingering challenges and difficulties due to hearing loss. We examined the efficacy of these programs outside the hearing aid fitting process, but that is not to say that these programs could be a valuable addition to the range of services offered by hearing clinics and audiologists,” states Elisabet Sundewall Thoren.
“Online discussion forums and surveys are easy to setup and not very expensive. In the future, we may see more professionals and clinics offer online programs as a cost-effective way to provide rehabilitation to persons with hearing loss.”
Through her research, Thorén also found that online discussion groups are a useful method for sharing knowledge and providing social support for people with hearing loss. There is a substantial amount of evidence pointing to the value of in-person group AR sessions. This is the first line of research that shows it could be possible to ascertain similar benefits by running an online group session.
“A part of my third study utilized an online discussion group for the control group. One online discussion in particular involved the telecoil. It became apparent that many participants could do something very simple and very easy to improve their communication and hearing. The participants were very supportive toward each other in the discussions, sharing information about their devices and communication strategies that helped them move forward. The groups helped give each participants the courage to do something. They realized that they were not alone. They were able to learn from each other’s situation,” states Elisabet Thoren.
You can read and download the complete set of studies by visiting the Linköping University website.
Elisabet Sundewall Thorén completed her PhD at the Swedish Institute for Disability Research at Linköping University in Sweden. She is currently a research audiologist at the Eriksholm Research Centre in Denmark.
