Clinician Tools & Resources
One of the great technological advances in health over the last 20 or 30 years has been the development of the hearing aid and cochlear implant for people with hearing loss.
Both these devices are made and programmed in a way that is matched to the individual. However, they are also complex devices to use and maintain. Many hearing device owners are unaware of what should or can be done with their devices, and so may not be receiving the full benefits their device has to offer.
Our research has shown that there are over 100 separate aspects of information or tasks that are required to manage these devices, from changing small parts through to where to buy supplies. This information or tasks are normally taught by the audiologist. However, due to time constraints or information overload, some aspects may be overlooked.
Through extensive consultations with patients and audiologists, we have developed a number of tools that help the audiologists or individuals to identify problem areas, i.e. those which require further instruction or training.
The Cochlear Implant Management Skills survey
The Cochlear Implant Management Skills (CIMS) survey is a ten-item questionnaire evaluating cochlear implant device management skills.
The Hearing Aid Skills and Knowledge Inventory (HASKI)
The Hearing Aid Skills and Knowledge Inventory (HASKI) was developed based on the results of a group concept mapping study (Bennett et al., 2018), wherein hearing aid owners and clinicians identified 111 individual aspects of skill and knowledge required to manage a hearing aid.
Two versions of the HASKI were developed: a self-administered version (HASKI-self) to enable hearing aid owners to self-identify hearing aid management skills and knowledge; and a clinician-administered version (HASKI-clin) to assist clinicians with the evaluation of hearing aid management skills in the clinic.
Psychometric evaluation of the surveys demonstrated that they are valid, reliable and clinically feasible measures.
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Investigators
Key papers
Bennett RJ, Jayakody DMP, Eikelboom RH, Taljaard DS, Atlas MD. A prospective study evaluating cochlear implant management skills: Development and validation of the Cochlear Implant Management Skills survey. Clinical Otolaryngology. 41(1):51-58; 2016.
Bennett RJ, Jayakody, DMP, Eikelboom RH, Atlas MD. Self‐reported cochlear implant management skills: development and validation of the self‐administered Cochlear Implant Management Skills (CIMS‐self) survey. Clinical Otolaryngology. 42(1):164-171; 2017.
Bennett RJ, Meyer CJ, Eikelboom RH, Atlas MD. Investigating the knowledge, skills, and tasks required for hearing aid management: perspectives of clinicians and hearing aid owners. American Journal of Audiology. 27(1): 67-84; 2018.
Bennett RJ, Meyer CJ, Eikelboom RH, Atlas MD. Evaluating hearing aid management: development of the hearing aid skills and knowledge inventory (HASKI). American Journal of Audiology. 27(3), 333-348; 2018.
Bennett RJ, Meyer CJ, Eikelboom RH, Atlas JD, Atlas MD. Factors associated with self-reported hearing aid management skills and knowledge. American Journal of Audiology. 27(4):604-613; 2018.