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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Audiol. Otol.
Sec. Clinical Research in Auditory Implants and Hearing Aids
Volume 2 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fauot.2024.1520014

Investigating the implementation of a new protocol and clinical tool designed to assess the audiological needs of individuals with hearing loss in primary care clinical settings

Provisionally accepted
Mathieu Hotton Mathieu Hotton 1,2*Loonan Chauvette Loonan Chauvette 1,3Sandie Poulin Sandie Poulin 1,2Jean-Pierre Gagne Jean-Pierre Gagne 4,5
  • 1 School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Laval University, Quebec, Canada
  • 2 Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration (CIRRIS), Quebec, Canada
  • 3 CERVO Brain Research Centre, Quebec, Canada
  • 4 School of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, Montreal University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • 5 Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction. Few clinical protocols are presently available to guide hearing healthcare professionals who are responsible for conducting comprehensive audiological needs assessments with their clients. The Québec Audiological Assessment Protocol for Younger and Older Adults (QAAP-YOA) was recently developed for this purpose. This pilot study is the third phase in the development of the QAAP-YOA. Its objective was to assess the implementation of the QAAP-YOA in clinical settings. Methods. Audiologists (n = 5) and adults with hearing loss (n = 29) participated in the study. Audiologists were trained to use the QAAP-YOA. Then, they administered the QAAP-YOA to clients. Needs assessment reports and QAAP-YOA clinical tools written by audiologists following these assessments were analyzed. Data related to the audiologists’ workflow were collected. Individual semi-structured interviews were also conducted with participants to explore their experience. Results. Audiologists judged the QAAP-YOA relevant and useful. It allowed them to perform more comprehensive and consistent needs assessments, and to formulate more adequate recommendations. Compliance ratings for assessment reports were higher after training (p < .001), particularly when the clinical tool was used. Participants were satisfied with the QAAP-YOA, but longer appointments and additional time for record keeping was required to implement it. Conclusions. Audiologists can benefit from using the QAAP-YOA. Digitalizing the clinical tool may help reduce the time required to administer the procedure, facilitate its use and allow for possibility of adapting the protocol to specific clientele and work settings.

    Keywords: Audiology, Needs Assessment, persons with hearing impairment, Clientcentered approach, International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health

    Received: 30 Oct 2024; Accepted: 16 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Hotton, Chauvette, Poulin and Gagne. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Mathieu Hotton, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Laval University, Quebec, Canada

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.