Health care research project on hearing ability and dementia in residential care facilities in the greater Hanover area – Potential audiological screening tools

Background Due to age and sector structures, residents of inpatient nursing homes often have disadvantages in accessing hearing aid care. Within the framework of a care research project in Hanover, possible screening tools are to be evaluated, with the help of which care facilities can assess the necessity for hearing aid provision.

Methods An explorative study is currently being conducted in three inpatient care facilities in the greater Hanover area so far (recruitment phase). The residents are interviewed about their subjective hearing ability using a German translation of the NHHI (Nursing Home Hearing Index) designed by Schow and Nerbonne. After inspection and, if necessary, cleaning of the auditory canals, TEOAE, DPOAE, pure tone and speech audiometric measurements are performed.

Results A total of 81 residents have been included to date, almost all of whom received TEOAE and DPOAE; sound and speech audiograms have been obtained for 58 residents to date. The NHHI comprises 10 questions on hearing ability, which are answered by the residents using a 5-point Likert scale. Validation of the German translation of the NHHI showed a good correlation of the maximum score in the questionnaire with hearing loss in pure tone audiometry (r² = 0.417). The DPOAE measurements showed a high sensitivity (97.8%) in identifying residents with indication for hearing aid fitting (specificity 46%).

Conclusion Both the German translation of the NHHI and DPOAE measurements are promising screening tools that can help identify hearing loss and hearing aid needs in residential care facilities.

Gesundheitswirtschaft Hannover e.V. (Projekt zusammenHöREN), Hörregion Hannover

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Artikel online veröffentlicht:
12. Mai 2023