Use of self-assessment inventories in hearing-aid provision: German versions of ECHO and SADL.

Objective: This study presents German versions of the ECHO (expected consequences of hearing aid ownership) and SADL (satisfaction with amplification in daily life) self-assessment inventories ( Cox et al, 1999 , 2000 ).

Study Sample: The questionnaires were administered to a group of 290 hearing-aid candidates (ECHO) and 462 experienced hearing-aid users (SADL) recruited at different audiological centres in Germany.

Design: The psychometric properties of the German versions and the original questionnaires were similar as confirmed by factor analysis and internal consistency analysis.

Detecting components of hearing aid fitting using a self-assessment-inventory.

The evaluation of hearing-aid fitting includes numerous assessments such as electro- and psychoacoustic tests. The subjective estimation of the hearing aid user can be elicited with self-assessment inventories encompassing various parameters, e.g.

Identifying the needs of elderly, hearing-impaired persons: the importance and utility of hearing aid attributes.

Older patients represent the majority of hearing-aid users. The needs of elderly, hearing-impaired subjects are not entirely identified. The present study aims to determine the importance of fundamental hearing-aid attributes and to elicit the utility of associated hypothetical hearing aids for older patients.

Determining the importance of fundamental hearing aid attributes.

Objective: To determine the importance of fundamental hearing aid attributes and to elicit measures of satisfaction and dissatisfaction.

Study Design: A prospective study based on a survey using a decompositional approach of preference measurement (conjoint analysis).

Setting: Ear, nose, and throat university hospitals in Cologne and Giessen; various branches of hearing aid dispensers.