Effects on health outcomes following a nurse-led hearing loss management intervention designed for older adults: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background

Hearing loss is prevalent in older adults, which can negatively impact health. However, providing strategies for managing hearing loss is often not prioritized and it is not well understood whether interventions providing older adults with information to improve living with hearing loss can impact health.

Objectives

To investigate the effects of a nurse-led hearing loss management intervention designed for older adults on communication ability, loneliness, depression, quality of life and hearing aid satisfaction.

Methods

This single-blind, parallel-arm, randomized controlled trial with a repeated measure design recruited adults aged ≥ 65 years with hearing loss (N = 57) from an otolaryngology clinic of a university-affiliated hospital in northern Taiwan from September 2021 to October 2023. Participants were randomly assigned to a 10-week nurse-led hearing loss management program (intervention group, n = 28), or 10 weeks of usual care while wait-listed for the program (wait-list control group, n = 29). The program included (1) ten 60-min one-on-one health education sessions on hearing loss management strategies; (2) a printed booklet on hearing loss; (3) a consultation with communication partners of the participants; and (4) weekly follow-up calls. Self-report assessments were conducted at baseline (T0), immediately after completion of the intervention (3 months, T1), and at the 3-month follow-up (6 months from baseline, T2). Data were analyzed using the intention-to-treat principle. Generalized estimating equations analyzed changes in measures from T0 to T1 and T0 to T2 for the intervention group compared with the wait-list control group.

Results

Post-intervention, after adjusting for age, participants in the intervention group had greater improvements in communication ability compared with the wait-list control group (mean difference = − 8.51, 95 % CI: − 12.37 to − 4.65, p < 0.001) and an increase in perceived hearing aid satisfaction (mean difference = 3.90, 95 % CI: 1.84 to 5.96, p = 0.001). The greater improvements in communication ability for the intervention group compared with the wait-list control group were sustained at the 3-month follow-up (mean difference = − 5.95, 95 % CI: − 10.48 to − 1.42, p = 0.007). No differences were identified between the two groups in terms of loneliness, depression or quality of life.

Conclusions

Significant improvements were seen in communication abilities and hearing aid satisfaction for older adults in the intervention group after participation in the nurse-led hearing program. The sustained communication ability improvements at 3-month follow-up suggest hearing loss management programs positively impact the health of older adults with hearing loss.

Registration

This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on May 26, 2021 (Identifier: NCT05083221).