Paediatric hearing aid use: a systematic review

Abstract

Context: Hearing loss (HL) is one of the most common disorders present at birth. Parents' management of their child's hearing aids (HAs) and regular follow-up with healthcare providers HA are fundamental components of effective intervention.

Objective: The primary objective of this systematic review was to synthesise the current literature on HA use in the paediatric population, and the secondary objective was to review the factors associated with HA use.

Methods: Electronic databases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and LLBA from 2005 to 2019, were searched. Two reviewers individually screened potentially relevant articles over two phases.

Results: Fifteen studies met this review criteria. Four studies reported HA use based on data logging records. In nine studies, the amount of HA use was evaluated based on parents' reports, and three studies concluded that parents overestimate their child's HA use. Age, degree of HL and parents' education level were the most frequently reported factors associated with a child's amount of HA use.

Conclusions: The results of this review will provide a foundation for future studies on the importance of monitoring HA use and the impact of consistent HA use on the language development of children with HL.

Keywords: Hearing loss; data logging; hearing aid use; hearing aids; paediatric.