Generic Quality of Life in persons With Hearing Loss: A Systematic Litterature Review

Background To the best of our knowledge, no empirically based consensus has been reached as to if, and to what extent, persons with hearing loss (HL) have reduced generic Quality of life (QoL). There seems to be limited knowledge regarding to what extent a hearing aid (HA) would improve QoL. The main aim of the present study was to review studies about the relationship between HL and QoL. A supporting aim was to study the association between distress and HL. Methods Literature databases (Cinahl, Pub Med and Web of Science) were searched to identify relevant journal articles published in the period from January 2000 to March 17, 2016. We performed a primary search pertaining to the relationship between HL, HA and QoL (search number one) followed by a supporting search pertaining to the relationship between distress/mood/anxiety and HL (search number two). After checking for duplications and screening the titles of the papers, we read the abstracts of the remaining papers. The most relevant papers were read thoroughly, leaving us with the journal articles that met the inclusion criteria. Results Twenty journal articles were included in the present review: 13 were found in the primary search (HL and QoL), and seven in the supporting search (HL and distress). The literature yields equivocal findings regarding the association between generic QoL and HL. A strong association between distress and HL was shown, where distressed persons tend to have a lowered generic QoL. It is suggested that QoL is lowered among HL patients. Some studies suggest an increased generic QoL following the use of HA, especially during the first few months after initiation of treatment. Other studies suggest that HA use is one of several possible factors that contribute to improve generic QoL. Conclusions The majority of the studies suggest that HL is associated with reduced generic QoL. Using hearing aids seem to improve general QoL at follow-up within the first year. HL is a risk factor for distress. Further research is needed to explore the relationship between HL and generic QoL, in addition to the importance of influencing variables on this relationship.publishedVersio

The effect of transitions intervention to ensure patient safety and satisfaction when transferred from hospital to home health care-A systematic review

Aim The aim of this systematic review is to describe and evaluate the effectiveness of transition interventions to safeguard patient safety and satisfaction during patients' transition from hospital to home health care. Design Systematic review. Data Sources MEDLINE, Ovid Nursing Database, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, Clinical Trials and SveMed+ was systematic searched in January 2019 and September 2020 to identify peer-reviewed papers. No language, geographical or publication date restrictions. Review Methods Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions was used. Data analysis focused on aggregated data and a descriptive synthesis. Risk of bias was rated using Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. Results In total, 10,524 references were identified in the literature search, twenty-six articles were included. The interventions were divided into three main groups: (i). systematic patient education pre-discharge; (ii). establishment of contact with the local healthcare services pre-discharge and (iii). follow-up initiated by nurses from the hospital at home post-discharge. The studies either used one intervention or combined two or three interventions. We considered the intervention to improve patient safety or satisfaction when they reported statistically significant results. Only four interventions increased both patient safety and satisfaction, seven interventions increased patient safety and thirteen increased patient satisfaction. Interventions that appear to be quite similar, with the same duration, measured different effects on patients' satisfaction and safety. Interventions that ensured patient safety did not necessarily facilitate patient satisfaction and vice versa. Conclusion Interventions can improve patient safety and satisfaction during transfer. However, interventions that improve patient safety or satisfaction do not always match. Impact This review suggests that transition interventions can improve patients' safety and satisfaction. However, to compare the impact of future interventions is it important to use standardized measurement tools of satisfaction. There is a need to try out tailored interventions, where interventions are customized to the needs of each patient.publishedVersio

Importance of personality and coping expectancy on patient-reported hearing disability, quality of life and distress level: a study of patients referred to an audiology service

Purpose: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hearing loss (HL) affects up to 15% of the world’s adult population. Coping and personality are hypothesized to underlie quality of life (QoL) and distress scores. We aimed to study the importance of personality and coping in persons with HL for self-reported hearing disability, QoL, and distress. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out, including one hundred and fifty-eight adults seeking hearing aids. Pure-tone average hearing thresholds (PTA) were determined for each ear. A revised version of the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) served as a measure of self-reported hearing disability. Further, the generic part of the European Organization for Research and Treatment (EORTC) QoL questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) (distress measure) were answered. Levels of neuroticism and the Theoretically Originated Measure of the Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress (TOMCATS) coping expectancy were determined. Results: Hearing disability was determined by PTA (better ear) and level of neuroticism. Distress and QoL were determined by neuroticism and coping. Conclusion: More neuroticism was associated with worse outcome for the variables hearing disability, distress, and QoL. Helplessness and hopelessness were associated with worse hearing disability, increased distress, and lowered QoL. Patient reported hearing disability was also associated with PTA (better ear). There is a need to investigate further the associations between hearing disability and QoL to psychosocial parameters

Importance of personality and coping expectancy on patient-reported hearing disability, quality of life and distress level: a study of patients referred to an audiology service

Purpose According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hearing loss (HL) affects up to 15% of the world’s adult population. Coping and personality are hypothesized to underlie quality of life (QoL) and distress scores. We aimed to study the importance of personality and coping in persons with HL for self-reported hearing disability, QoL, and distress. Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out, including one hundred and fifty-eight adults seeking hearing aids. Pure-tone average hearing thresholds (PTA) were determined for each ear. A revised version of the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) served as a measure of self-reported hearing disability. Further, the generic part of the European Organization for Research and Treatment (EORTC) QoL questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) (distress measure) were answered. Levels of neuroticism and the Theoretically Originated Measure of the Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress (TOMCATS) coping expectancy were determined. Results Hearing disability was determined by PTA (better ear) and level of neuroticism. Distress and QoL were determined by neuroticism and coping. Conclusion More neuroticism was associated with worse outcome for the variables hearing disability, distress, and QoL. Helplessness and hopelessness were associated with worse hearing disability, increased distress, and lowered QoL. Patient reported hearing disability was also associated with PTA (better ear). There is a need to investigate further the associations between hearing disability and QoL to psychosocial parameters

Clinical application and psychometric properties of a norwegian questionnaire for the self-assessment of communication in quiet and adverse conditions using two revised APHAB subscales

Background: Difficulty in following and understanding conversation in different daily life situations is a common complaint among persons with hearing loss. To the best of our knowledge, there is currently no published validated Norwegian questionnaire available that allows for a self-assessment of unaided communication ability in a population with hearing loss. Purpose: The aims of the present study were to investigate a questionnaire for the self-assessment of communication ability, examine the psychometric properties of this questionnaire, and explore how demographic variables such as degree of hearing loss, age, and sex influence response patterns. Research Design: A questionnaire based on the subscales of the Norwegian translation of the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit was applied to a group of hearing aid users and normal-hearing controls. Study Sample: A total of 108 patients with bilateral hearing loss, and 101 controls with self-reported normal hearing. Data Collection and Analysis: The psychometric properties were evaluated. Associations and differences between outcome scores and descriptive variables were examined. A regression analysis was performed to investigate whether descriptive variables could predict outcome. Results: The measures of reliability suggest that the questionnaire has satisfactory psychometric properties, with the outcome of the questionnaire correlating to hearing loss severity, thus indicating that the concurrent validity of the questionnaire is good. Conclusions: The findings indicate that the proposed questionnaire is a valid measure of self-assessed communication ability in both quiet and adverse listening conditions in participants with and without hearing loss

Quality of life in persons with hearing loss : a study of patients referred to an audiological service

Objective: To investigate the relationship between hearing loss (HL) and general quality of life (QoL) in adults seeking hearing aids (HAs). Design: The patients completed the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire’s general part and a questionnaire measuring self-assessed communication ability (Abbreviated Profile of hearing Aid Benefit—APHAB). These responses were compared with EORTC scores from a general population and patients with former head and neck cancer. Study sample: One-hundred and fifty-eight adults with HL were recruited prior to hearing aid (HA) fitting with one half seeking renewal of their HA. Results: General QoL scores among patients with HL were similar to those in the general population, but higher than in many chronic serious diseases. Patients with unilateral HL reported slightly worse social function and more fatigue than patients with bilateral HL. Self-assessed communication ability correlated with general QoL scores. Also, we found that best ear pure tone average (PTA), cognitive and physical QoL function predicted APHAB scores. Conclusion: In the investigated HL group, general QoL scores seem to be relatively close to those seen in the general population

Personality and educational level determine self-reported health-related quality-of-life and distress in patients with renal tumors awaiting radical surgery

Objective: Data on preoperative distress and health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) is lacking for patients with newly diagnosed renal tumors. This study aims to compare HRQoL within this group with the general population and to study the relationship between distress, HRQoL, personality, coping, and patient/tumor-related factors. Materials and methods: Between January 2011 and June 2014, 153 patients (100 males/53 females), scheduled for surgery were prospectively included. Distress was determined by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), HRQoL by EORTC-QLQ-C30 questionnaire, personality by Eysenck Personality Inventory and coping by COPE questionnaire. HRQoL-data from an age and gender matched Norwegian reference population was used for comparison. Results: The study patients had significantly poorer HRQoL than the reference population. GHQ and HRQoL sum scores had a common variance (CV = r2) of 29–35%. In regression models, the measured variables accounted for 33% of the variance for the GHQ score. Significant predictors of the measured variance were neuroticism (18%), education level (3%) and avoidant coping (2%). Similarly, the measured variables accounted for 33–44% of the variance for the HRQoL sum scores. For all HRQoL sum scores, neuroticism predicted 17–28%, while education predicted 4–11% of the measured variance. Large tumor size, comorbidity, performance status and CRP predicted 2–7% of individual sum scores. Conclusions: For both preoperative distress and HRQoL, personality traits such as neuroticism and education level were the most important predictors. Tumor-related factors and other preexisting conditions seemed to be of lesser importance. Thus, preoperatively screening of psychological factors could be helpful to identify those at risk of poor outcomes

Health and the need for health promotion in hospital patients

BACKGROUND: Integrated health promotion improves clinical outcomes after hospital treatment. The first step towards implementing evidence-based health promotion in hospitals is to estimate the need for health promoting activities directed at hospital patients. The aim of this study was to identify the distribution and association of individual health risk factors in a Norwegian hospital population and to estimate the need for health promotion in this population. METHODS: We used a validated documentation model (HPH-DATA Model) to identify the prevalence of patients with nutritional risk (measurements of waist and weight), self-reported physical inactivity, daily smoking and hazardous drinking. We used logistic regression to describe the associations between health risk factors and demographic characteristics. RESULTS: Out of 10 included patients, 9 (N = 1522) had one or more health risk factors. In total 68% (N = 1026) were overweight, 44% (N = 660) at risk of under-nutrition, 38% (N = 574) physically inactive, 19% (N = 293) were daily smokers and 4% (N = 54) hazardous drinkers. We identified a new clinical relevant association between under-nutrition and smoking. The association between hazardous drinking and smoking was sustained. CONCLUSION: Nearly all patients included in this study had one or more health risk factors that could aggravate clinical outcomes. There is a significant need, and potential, for health-promoting interventions. Multi-factorial interventions may be frequently indicated and should be the subject of interventional studies