Hearing aid experiences of adult hearing aid owners during and after fitting : a systematic review of qualitative studies

Abstract

There has been an increasing number of qualitative studies exploring the experiences and perceptions of adult hearing aid owners throughout their hearing aid journey. As these studies and reported experiences vary greatly, a systematic review was conducted to identify and synthesize the key concepts in adult hearing aid owners’ experiences during and after fitting. A systematic search of three electronic databases was conducted, yielding 443 results. Articles were evaluated for inclusion based on pre-determined eligibility criteria, including conventional, smartphone-connected, and direct-to-consumer hearing devices. Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. The quality of the included articles was evaluated using the Rating of Qualitative Research scale. Guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) and the Synthesis Without Meta-Analysis (SWiM) were followed. A narrative synthesis was conducted, and studies were grouped into three main domains, namely experiences of owners related to a) hearing aid adoption and fitting (n = 3), b) hearing aid use (n = 20), and c) hearing aid sub-optimal use (n = 25). Hearing aid owners mainly reported on how their attitude towards hearing aids affected experiences during the fitting stage. Improved psychosocial functioning was the most prevalent perceived benefit of hearing aid use. Owners described sub-optimal use in terms of hearing device-related and non-device-related concepts. The COM-B (capability, opportunity, motivation-behavior) model is used to discuss specific service-delivery, hearing-device, and hearing-aid-owner related concepts and clinical implications, including behavior change techniques to enhance understanding of the concepts that hearing aid owners perceive as essential to improve hearing aid experiences.