HELP

Hearing Loss and Patient Reported Experience (HELP): Using patient experience to improve audiology services 

Summary

Background: Hearing loss will affect 1 in 2 of us. There is typically no cure and in most cases people are given hearing aids which amplify all sounds, making it difficult to distinguish between them. To learn to hear through hearing aids takes time and effort. We consider this to be 'work'. Up to 40% of people reject hearing aids and find the work of getting used to them more difficult than the work of living with hearing loss. We consider this trade off a logical reaction on the part of patients. Aims and Objectives: We aim to understand what the features of the work of living with hearing loss (illness work) and the work of living with hearing aids (treatment work) are. Once we understand this we can provide a tool to capture their efforts in clinical practice and in doing so inform services about what is particularly challenging about using their services. We hope that this will lead to changes in how services are delivered that means they support their patients' needs better. This provides important information for commissioners choosing between audiology service providers. Methods: We propose three linked studies. Firstly to develop a clear conceptual framework to describe the trade-offs and efforts required to cope with hearing loss without hearing services and to use hearing services. Secondly to develop a Patient Reported Experience Measure (PREM) to complement existing outcome measures in practice. Finally to assess whether a measure would be taken up and used by services and whether it would help services decipher how they could adjust to meet patient needs. Timelines for delivery: We propose a three year study to complete all work-packages. This includes milestones of developing a theoretical model of the work involved in managing hearing loss and audiological interventions by month 18 and using this to base the PREM tool (development completed by month 28). Finally we have a 10 month period of evaluation of the PREM in clinical practice. Anticipated impact and dissemination: We anticipate that the PREM will be adopted by participating services after the evaluation. The conceptual framework model will provide critical new insight to audiology researchers & service providers. Our training and support package will enable wider adoption of the PREM tool and allow an understanding of the personal costs and trade-offs that are involved in achieving outcomes.

Further Information

https://www.fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR131597