Perceptions Toward Internet-Based Delivery of Hearing Aids among Older Hearing-Impaired Adults.
Background: Despite evidence that hearing aids can improve the social and psychological functioning of older hearing-impaired adults, hearing aid uptake is low. High cost of hearing aids and poor access to audiology services in rural areas are potential barriers to hearing aid acquisition. Methods o...
| Publicado en: | Journal of the American Academy of Audiology Vol. 27; no. 6; pp. 441 - 458 |
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| Autores principales: | , |
| Formato: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
Thieme Medical Publishing Inc.
Jun2016
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=116304242&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 116304242 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 10500545 9OC jtl: Journal of the American Academy of Audiology issn: 10500545 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Jun2016 vid: 27 iid: 6 pid: 2811 pub: Thieme Medical Publishing Inc. place: New York, New York artinfo: ui: 116304242 116304242 116304242 10.3766/jaaa.15058 116304242 ppf: 441 ppct: 17 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P tig: atl: Perceptions Toward Internet-Based Delivery of Hearing Aids among Older Hearing-Impaired Adults. aug: au: Chandra, Navshika Searchfield, Grant D. affil: Audiology Section, University of Auckland Tamaki Innovation Campus, Auckland, New Zealand sug: subj: Internet Hearing Aid Fitting Hearing Disorders Therapy Patient Attitudes Human Audiology Health Services Accessibility Aged Qualitative Studies Male Female Semi-Structured Interview Life Experiences New Zealand Snowball Sample Interview Guides Health Care Costs Trust Audiometry Aged: 65+ years Male Female ab: Background: Despite evidence that hearing aids can improve the social and psychological functioning of older hearing-impaired adults, hearing aid uptake is low. High cost of hearing aids and poor access to audiology services in rural areas are potential barriers to hearing aid acquisition. Methods of hearing aid delivery deviating from the traditional clinician-based model have been available to consumers for many years. One such method is Internet hearing aid sales. However, research exploring Internet-based hearing aid delivery, as a method to improve hearing aid uptake in this population, is limited. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of older hearing aid users (aged >65 yr) toward Internet-based hearing aid delivery. Research Design: A qualitative approach was adopted to investigate older adults' perceptions of buying hearing aids online. Study Sample: The sample consisted of 18 participants aged between 64 and 81 yr. Fourteen men and four women participated in this study. Participants were all experienced hearing aid users. Data Collection and Analysis: Face-to-face semistructured interviews were conducted. An interview schedule guided the interview. Interviews were recorded with a voice recorder and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis of the data was carried out. Results: Seven main themes emerged from the data. A general lack of awareness, but willingness to learn more about Internet hearing aid sales, was found. Two perceived benefits of Internet-based hearing aid delivery were identified: lower cost of hearing aids and greater convenience or physical accessibility. Numerous concerns and limitations were communicated. Concerns regarding the availability of clinical procedures, such as hearing tests, obtaining the correct-sized earmolds, and fine-tuning of hearing aids, were expressed. Participants conveyed distrust in online retailers. However, trust in and a preference for audiologists' expertise, which was not perceived to be available online, was found. Participants further conveyed a preference for face-to-face contact. Finally, in this sample, a general lack of familiarity and confidence in using the Internet was communicated. Conclusions: Internet sales of hearing aids is a controversial topic in audiology. Although Internet-based delivery of hearing aids was perceived by older adults to be potentially beneficial, several shortcomings and concerns were conveyed. Irrespective of opinion of the role of Internet sales, audiologists should consider the opinions of the elderly as to how different service models may improve hearing aid uptake. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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