Hearing aid or “band aid”? Evaluating large scale hearing aid donation programmes in the Philippines

Newall, John; Biddulph, Rohan; Ramos, Hubert; Kwok, Catherine

doi:10.1080/14992027.2019.1666308

Cited by 9 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Self-reported hearing aid outcomes (IOI-HA questionnaire) were comparable to those from previous studies in both high-income countries and LMICs, including the USA [ 41 ], Germany [ 49 ], Philippines [ 50 ], and South Africa [ 51 ]. These outcomes persisted beyond six months post fitting.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Community-based adult hearing care provided by community healthcare workers using mHealth technologies

Frisby

Eikelboom

Mahomed-Asmail

et al. 2022

Global Health Action

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Background The rising prevalence of hearing loss is a global health concern. Professional hearing services are largely absent within low- and middle-income countries where appropriate skills are lacking. Task-shifting to community healthcare workers (CHWs) supported by mHealth technologies is an important strategy to address the problem. Objective To evaluate the feasibility of a community-based rehabilitation model providing hearing aids to adults in low-income communities using CHWs supported by mHealth technologies. Method Between September 2020 and October 2021, hearing aid assessments and fittings were implemented for adults aged 18 and above in two low-income communities in the Western Cape, South Africa, using trained CHWs. A quantitative approach with illustrative open-ended questions was utilised to measure and analyse hearing aid outcomes. Data were collected through initial face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews, and face-to-face visits post-fitting. Responses to open-ended questions were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. The International Outcome Inventory – Hearing Aids questionnaire determined standardised hearing aid outcomes. Results Of the 152 adults in the community who self-reported hearing difficulties, 148 were successfully tested by CHWs during home visits. Most had normal hearing (39.9%), 24.3% had bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, 20.9% had suspected conductive hearing loss, and 14.9% had unilateral hearing loss, of which 5.4% had suspected conductive loss. Forty adults met the inclusion criteria to be fitted with hearing aids. Nineteen of these were fitted bilaterally. Positive hearing aid outcomes and minimal device handling challenges were reported 45 days post-fitting and were maintained at six months. The majority (73.7%) of participants fitted were still making use of their hearing aids at the six-month follow-up. Conclusions Implementing a hearing healthcare service-delivery model facilitated by CHWs in low-income communities is feasible. mHealth technologies used by CHWs can support scalable service-delivery models with the potential for improved access and affordability in low-income settings.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Community-based adult hearing care provided by community healthcare workers using mHealth technologies

Frisby

Eikelboom

Mahomed-Asmail

et al. 2022

Global Health Action

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“…Malawi Against Physical Disabilities oversaw the entirety of the donation process to ensure that the initiative safeguarded individual and community needs and beliefs. Using this locally based structure, efforts were made to avoid a common pitfall of donation initiatives – providing short-term benefit, not based on local context or needs, at the expense of a more long-term, sustainable solution (Newall et al 2019 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobility impairment and life satisfaction in the Northern Region of Malawi

et al. 2022

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Background: There exist many psychosocial sequelae associated with mobility impairment, especially in low-resource settings where access to mobility assistive devices is limited.Objectives: This study aims to (1) define the burden and presenting aetiologies of mobility impairment in the rural Northern Region of Malawi and (2) assess the relationship between physical disability, life satisfaction and access to mobility aids.Methods: At mobility device donation clinics throughout the Northern Region of Malawi, adults living with mobility impairment were surveyed with a demographic questionnaire and a series of validated surveys to assess their physical activity levels (Global Physical Activity Questionnaire [GPAQ]), degree of mobility impairment (Washington Group Extended Set Questions on Disability) and life satisfaction (patient-reported outcomes measurement information systems satisfaction with participation in social roles and general life satisfaction).Results: There were 251 participants who qualified for inclusion, of which 193 completed all surveys. Higher physical activity scores were positively correlated with increased life satisfaction: (1) satisfaction with participation in social roles (0.481, p 0.0001) and (2) general life satisfaction (0.230, p 0.001). Respondents who had previously used a formal mobility device reported 235.5% higher physical activity levels ([139.0%, 333.0%], p = 0.006), significantly higher satisfaction with participation in social roles ([0.21, 6.67], p = 0.037) and equivocally higher general life satisfaction ([−1.77, 3.84], p = 0.470).Conclusion: Disability and mental health do not exist in isolation from one another. Given the positive correlations between formal mobility device usage and both physical activity and life satisfaction, interventions that increase access to mobility-assistive devices in undertreated populations are imperative.Contribution: This study contributes to the understanding of the complex relationship between physical disability, access to mobility aids, and life satisfaction. Results from this study suggest the potential benefit that increasing access to mobility aids may have in improving the quality of life of mobility impaired persons in resource-limited settings, such as the Northern Region of Malawi.

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“…Therefore, according to World Bank figures, for low-income, lower-middle income, and low- and middle-income countries, the affordable price would be approximately $20, $67.77, and $135, respectively. To address the growing need for hearing health, non-governmental organisations have been developing ear and hearing care services, and providing donated hearing aids, in low resource settings for many years (Newall et al, 2019; Thammaiah et al, 2017; Wertz et al, 2017). One of the key challenges in this process is the lack of trained local hearing healthcare professionals and a lack of specialised resources.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing outcomes of ultra-low-cost hearing aids to programmable, refurbished hearing aids for adults with high frequency hearing loss in Malawi: A feasibility study

Parmar

Phiri

Jailos

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Introduction Access to ear and hearing health services are limited or non-existent in low-income countries, with less than 10% of the global production of hearing aids is distributed to this population. The aim of this feasibility study was to compare the outcomes of an ultra-low-cost hearing aid (LoCHAid) to programmable, refurbished hearing aids for adults with high-frequency hearing loss, in Blantyre, Malawi. Methods Sixteen adults with high frequency hearing loss, and no prior experience of hearing aids, took part in this study, nine were fitted with the LoCHAid and seven were fitted with refurbished, programmable hearing aids, for a one-month trial. Five standardized hearing qualities questionnaires were used to compare outcomes pre and post device fitting and between devices. Questionnaire scales were analysed using general linear models and inductive thematic analysis was used to evaluate qualitative data. Results Overall, there was no significant difference found between LoCHAid and refurbished hearing aids, and the two device types each showed a similar degree of improvement after fitting. Qualitative data identified two key themes: Sound Quality and User experience. Conclusion The results from this feasibility study are encouraging, but a comprehensive, larger clinical study is needed to draw firm conclusions about the LoCHAids performance. This study has identified key improvement indicators required to enhance sound quality and user experience of the LoCHAid.

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Hearing aid or “band aid”? Evaluating large scale hearing aid donation programmes in the Philippines

Cited by 9 publications

References 45 publications

Community-based adult hearing care provided by community healthcare workers using mHealth technologies

Community-based adult hearing care provided by community healthcare workers using mHealth technologies

Mobility impairment and life satisfaction in the Northern Region of Malawi

Comparing outcomes of ultra-low-cost hearing aids to programmable, refurbished hearing aids for adults with high frequency hearing loss in Malawi: A feasibility study

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