Beyond Hearing Restoration: A Retrospective Analysis of the Impact of Hearing Aid Use on Interpersonal Communication
Main Article Content
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3272-2334
Erdi Özdemir, MD
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4543-2494
Mesut Yeşilova, MD
http://orcid.org/0009-0007-1283-4618
Abstract
Objective: Hearing loss affects daily communication far beyond reduced audibility. It may impair social participation, family interactions, workplace performance, emotional well-being, and perceived quality of life. This retrospective study evaluated whether hearing aid use was associated with measurable improvements in interpersonal communication and related patient-centered outcomes.
Methods: Records of 72 adult hearing aid users were retrospectively analyzed. Age, sex, hearing loss type, hearing loss severity, duration of hearing loss, duration of hearing aid use, pre- and post-fitting communication scores, social interaction, family communication, workplace communication, quality-of-life score, and patient satisfaction were recorded. Normality of paired differences was assessed with the Shapiro-Wilk test. Paired variables that were normally distributed were analyzed with paired-samples t-tests, whereas those that were not normally distributed were analyzed with Wilcoxon signed-rank tests.
Results: The cohort comprised 37 male and 35 female patients, with a mean age of 64.3 ± 11.3 years. The mean duration of hearing loss was 8.7 ± 5.3 years, and the mean duration of hearing aid use was 19.3 ± 9.8 months. Significant post-fitting improvements were observed in global communication score, social interaction, family communication, workplace communication, and quality of life. The mean communication score increased from 44.21 ± 9.08 to 76.79 ± 11.26 (p<0.001), and the quality-of-life score increased from 49.75 ± 8.97 to 78.72 ± 8.26 (p<0.001). The mean patient satisfaction score was 8.0 ± 1.5 on a 0-10 scale.
Conclusion: Hearing aid use was associated with statistically and clinically meaningful improvements in interpersonal communication, social interaction, family communication, workplace communication, and quality of life. These findings support the view that hearing aid rehabilitation should be evaluated not only as auditory amplification but also as a social-participation and communication-restorative intervention.
Article Details
The Medical Research Archives grants authors the right to publish and reproduce the unrevised contribution in whole or in part at any time and in any form for any scholarly non-commercial purpose with the condition that all publications of the contribution include a full citation to the journal as published by the Medical Research Archives.
References
2. Tsakiropoulou E, Konstantinidis I, Vital I, Konstantinidou S, Kotsani A. Hearing aids: quality of life and socio-economic aspects. Hippokratia. 2007;11(4):183-186.
3. Holman JA, Drummond A, Naylor G. Hearing Aids Reduce Daily-Life Fatigue and Increase Social Activity: A Longitudinal Study. Trends Hear. 2021;25:23312165211052786. doi:10.1177/23312165211052786
4. Hughes S, Hutchings H, Rapport F, McMahon C, Boisvert I. Social Connectedness and Perceived Listening Effort in Adult Cochlear Implant Users: A Grounded Theory to Establish Content Validity for a New Patient-Reported Outcome Measure. Ear and Hearing . 2018;39(5):922-934. doi:10.1097/aud.0000000000000553
5. Palmer AD, Newsom JT, Rook KS. How does difficulty communicating affect the social relationships of older adults? An exploration using data from a national survey. Journal of Communication Disorders . 2016;62:131-146. doi:10.1016/j.jcomdis.2016.06.002
6. Yadav AK, Ahsan A, Kumar V. Impact of Hearing Aid Usage on Emotional and Social Skills in Persons With Severe to Profound Hearing Loss. J Audiol Otol. 2023;27(1):10-15. doi:10.7874/jao.2022.00290
7. Mathew J, Gowri M, Sebastian S, Sundaresan R, Micheal R. Speech Intelligibility and Communication-related Quality of Life in Tracheoesophageal Speakers. International Journal of Phonosurgery & Laryngology . 2020;10(2):33-39. doi:10.5005/jp-journals-10023-1190
8. Wong MNK, Cheung MKT, Ng YM, et al. International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health-based rehabilitation program promotes activity and participation of post-stroke patients. Frontiers in Neurology . 2023;14. doi:10.3389/fneur.2023.1235500
9. Michaud HN, Duchesne L. Aural Rehabilitation for Older Adults with Hearing Loss: Impacts on Quality of Life-A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. J Am Acad Audiol. 2017;28(7):596-609. doi:10.3766/jaaa.15090
10. Ferguson M, Kitterick PT, Chong LY, Edmondson‐Jones M, Barker F, Hoare DJ. Hearing aids for mild to moderate hearing loss in adults. Cochrane library . 2017;2017(9). doi:10.1002/14651858.cd012023.pub2
11. Narayanan SK. First-Year Hearing-Aid Use and Self-Reported Outcomes in Adults . 2023. doi:10.54337/aau539429931
12. Cox RM, Johnson J, Xu J. Impact of Advanced Hearing Aid Technology on Speech Understanding for Older Listeners with Mild to Moderate, Adult-Onset, Sensorineural Hearing Loss. Gerontology . 2014;60(6):557-568. doi:10.1159/000362547
13. Hoek-Snieders HEM van der, Boymans M, Dreschler WA. Factors associated with change in the need for recovery and subjective listening effort in employees with hearing loss receiving aural rehabilitation. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health . 2022;96(2):271-283. doi:10.1007/s00420-022-01920-1
14. Hori K, Shah R, Paladugu A, et al. Social Outcomes Among Adults With Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implants. JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery . 2025;151(8):806-816. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2025.1777
15. Burt J, Abel G, Elliott MN, et al. The Evaluation of Physicians’ Communication Skills From Multiple Perspectives. The Annals of Family Medicine . 2018;16(4):330-337. doi:10.1370/afm.2241
16. Sidey‐Gibbons C, Porter I, Gonçalves DC, et al. Routine provision of feedback from patient-reported outcome measurements to healthcare providers and patients in clinical practice. Cochrane library . 2021;2021(10). doi:10.1002/14651858.cd011589.pub2
17. Ulusoy S, Muluk NB, San T, Cingi C. Evaluation of patient satisfaction with different hearing aids: A study of 107 patients. Ear Nose Throat J. 2017;96(1):E22-E28. doi:10.1177/014556131709600103
18. Savundranayagam MY, Hummert ML, Montgomery RJV. Investigating the Effects of Communication Problems on Caregiver Burden. The Journals of Gerontology Series B . 2005;60(1). doi:10.1093/geronb/60.1.s48
19. Feenstra VEE, Zekveld A, Kaandorp MW, et al. Comparing occupational well-being between cochlear implant users and individuals with hearing loss or typical hearing. International Journal of Audiology . Published online February 2, 2026:1-13. doi:10.1080/14992027.2026.2618754
20. Tang D, Tran Y, Bennett RJ, et al. The Benefits of Hearing Aids for Adults: A Systematic Umbrella Review. Ear Hear. 2025;46(3):563-570. doi:10.1097/AUD.0000000000001620
21. Desjardins JL. Analysis of Performance on Cognitive Test Measures Before, During, and After 6 Months of Hearing Aid Use: A Single-Subject Experimental Design. American Journal of Audiology . 2016;25(2):127-141. doi:10.1044/2016_aja-15-0067
22. Schafer EC, Miller S, Lam BPW, et al. Impact of Short-Term Hearing Aid Use on Cognitive Performance, Noise Acceptance, and Self-Perceived Benefit. American Journal of Audiology . 2025;34(3):707-721. doi:10.1044/2025_aja-25-00039
23. Walker E, Spratford M, Moeller MP, et al. Predictors of Hearing Aid Use Time in Children With Mild-to-Severe Hearing Loss. Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools . 2013;44(1):73-88. doi:10.1044/0161-1461(2012/12-0005)
24. Barker F, Mackenzie E, Elliott L, Jones S, Lusignan S de. Interventions to improve hearing aid use in adult auditory rehabilitation. Cochrane library . 2016;2017(11). doi:10.1002/14651858.cd010342.pub3
25. Dawes P, Cruickshanks KJ, Fischer M, Klein R, Klein R, Nondahl DM. Hearing-aid use and long-term health outcomes: Hearing handicap, mental health, social engagement, cognitive function, physical health, and mortality. International Journal of Audiology . 2015;54(11):838-844. doi:10.3109/14992027.2015.1059503
26. Choi HJ, An Y, Kim DH, Lee JH, Shim HJ. The Impact of Hearing Aid Use on Sound Localization and Speech Recognition in Noise: A Longitudinal Study. Korean Journal of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery . Published online September 24, 2025. doi:10.3342/kjorl-hns.2025.00346
27. Sánchez-López R. Clinical auditory profiling and profile-based hearing-aid fitting. Research Portal Denmark. Published online January 1, 2020:237. Accessed July 2025. https://local.forskningsportal.dk/local/dki-cgi/ws/cris-link?src=dtu&id=dtu-3042892b-7015-4644-8515-3d52dcbed97b&ti=Clinical%20auditory%20profiling%20and%20profile-based%20hearing-aid%20fitting