RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Hearing-Dependent Daily Activities Scale to Evaluate Impact of Hearing Loss in Older People
JF The Annals of Family Medicine
JO Ann Fam Med
FD American Academy of Family Physicians
SP 441
OP 447
DO 10.1370/afm.890
VO 6
IS 5
A1 Hidalgo, Jesús López-Torres
A1 Gras, Clotilde Boix
A1 Lapeira, Juan Manuel Téllez
A1 Martínez, Ignacio Párraga
A1 Verdejo, Maria Ángeles López
A1 Rabadán, Francisco Escobar
A1 Puime, Ángel Otero
YR 2008
UL http://www.annfammed.org/content/6/5/441.abstract
AB PURPOSE We wanted to design and validate the Hearing-Dependent Daily Activities (HDDA) Scale as a means of identifying the impact of hearing loss in older persons by measuring capacity to carry out hearing-dependent activities. METHODS We undertook a cross-sectional, observational study to validate a scale administered during a personal interview with 1,160 participants aged 65 years and older. When using the instrument to identify patients with hearing impairment, sensitivity and specificity were determined using an audiogram with Ventry and Weinstein criteria as the criterion standard. Standardized audiometries were performed blindly, without knowledge of results of the HDDA Scale. RESULTS According to the criterion standard, 506 participants had hearing impairment (43.6%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 40.8%–46.5%). The HDDA scale showed high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α =0.91). Regarding hearing impairment criteria, the HDDA scale obtained a sensitivity of 80.0% (95% CI, 76.3%–83.3%) and a specificity of 70.2% (95% CI, 66.5%–73.5%). CONCLUSIONS The HDDA scale constitutes a clinically useful instrument for identifying the impact of hearing loss on daily life in the elderly, a condition frequently overlooked during routine medical check-ups. This tool has acceptable psychometric properties and high internal consistency.