Outcome measurement for patients receiving hearing aid services

Objective: The purpose of this paper is to describe a useful patient report outcome measure for a hearing aid program that can be completed annually, with limited staff resources, and can be used to document performance excellence. Study Design and Methods: The International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA) questionnaire was mailed to all patients receiving new hearing aids and rehabilitative services during a 1 year period at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN). The data were analyzed to assess outcomes. Results: Overall, patients reported a high level of satisfaction and an improved quality of life. The results compared favorably with published norms and with the previous year's results. Conclusion. The IOI-HA was implemented easily with little incremental cost. An annual project such as the one described can be used to demonstrate to administrators, patients, and payers that the clinic's rehabilitative hearing aid services have positive outcomes and that program quality is being monitored.