Hearing Tactics: the Long-term Effects of Instruction

The effects of instructions on hearing tactics, when given at 3 months after the hearing aids had been fitted, were examined at 6 months after the fitting. These effects were both change in the use of the aid and in the hearing measurement scale (HMS) score. Only data on those with potential for improvement were examined. Patients in the experimental groups were significantly more likely to improve their HMS score than those in the control group. Although they also tended to wear their hearing aids more, it was not significantly so The pictorial method of instruction, which can be used as a self-instruction manual, offers an effective method of improving the handicap experienced by patients at a low resource cost.