الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Hearing loss is a common health condition in early middle age (ages 35-44), late middle age (ages 45-64), and late adulthood (ages sixty-five and older) Hearing loss can have adverse effects on various aspects of an individual’s life across interrelated and interconnected domains including 1) hearing and communication, 2) behavior and social interaction, and 3) emotions, identity, and psychological well-being The approach to treating hearing loss varies depending on individual’s specific type of hearing loss, their daily lifestyle needs, personal preferences, and financial capabilities. The field of hearing technology is constantly evolving, offering a wide array of products from traditional hearing aids, to consumer-tech devices and hearing assistive technologies There are many factors influencing help-seeking behavior, uptake of hearing aids, usage, and satisfaction with hearing devices. These factors are biological, psychological and social factors By adopting a biopsychosocial approach, clinicians and researchers can take into account the interplay between these biological, psychological, and social factors when investigating the gap between selfreported limitations and actual usage or satisfaction with hearing aids. Summary 148 So there is need for paradigm shift from biomedical approach to biopsychosocial approach in dealing with hearing loss The reasons for the paradigm shift can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, the dominant biomedical model of hearing loss focuses primarily on the medical aspects, neglecting the broader dimensions of hearing, communication, and conversation disabilities. Additionally, barriers such as limited time in appointments, lack of workplace support, inadequate knowledge and skills in recognizing psychological symptoms, insufficient training in mental health, and the absence of outcome measures capturing individuals’ concerns contribute to healthcare professionals not adequately addressing these broader aspects. The importance of applying a multidimensional approach in treating patients with hearing loss is increasingly acknowledged within the clinical audiological setting . However, there is still no consensus of which measurement instruments to be used, To do so, applying the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) framework was found to be an ideal design foundation. In the ICF, functioning refers to positive aspects of Body Functions, Activities, and Participation, while disability refers to impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions, in which both aspects can be influenced by a health condition(s) and or contextual (personal and environmental) factors Summary 149 The development of the ICF Core Sets for hearing loss project was initiated by several organizations, including the Nordic Audiological Society, the ICF Research Branch, the World Health Organization, and others. The ICF core sets includes comprehensive and brief core set The development of the HEAL-COMMAND Tool, a questionnaire based on the ICF framework, benefited greatly from the collaboration of an international team of experts with diverse scientific backgrounds. This team consisted of experts from Germany, the United States, and the Netherlands, bringing together their expertise in audiology, medicine, psychology, neuropsychology, ICF applications, and questionnaire design. The diverse expertise of the team members contributes to the robustness and validity of the HEAL-COMMAND Tool, making it suitable for international use Our study aimed to develop an Arabic version of the HEALCOMMAND Tool and assess its validity which is the primary aim This involves evaluating the content validity of the questionnaire items and examining the reliability and psychometric aspects of the instrument. Additionally, the study has a secondary aim, which is to compare the impact of English, German, and Arabic data collection approaches on disability rates. This is the first study to develop and validate an Arabic version of the HEAL-COMMAND Tool questionnaire. Summary 150 The study was carried out on 80 subjects divided into 4 groups: 20 individuals had normal hearing with subjective hearing difficulty, 20 patients with mild hearing loss (unaided), 20 patients with moderate hearing loss (unaided), and 20 patients with moderate hearing loss (aided) indicating the use of hearing aids Data collection was divided into 2 phases. Phase 1 includes Quantitative and Qualitative data collection from 30 subjects and Phase 2 includes quantitative data collection from 50 subjects using the revised version. The results of this study confirm the validity of the Arabic version of HEAL-COMMAND TOOL. The content of tool seems to be relevant for adults with hearing loss and confirms that hearing loss is complex, and a multidimensional approach to hearing rehabilitation is necessary to cover central aspects of everyday life and that the TOOL supports this approach, however there is need for larger number of respondents to ensure its diversity. Conclusion 1- The results of this study confirm the validity of the Arabic version of HEAL-COMMAND TOOL. 2- The content of tool seems to be relevant for adults with hearing loss and confirms that hearing loss is complex and multidimensional disorder. 3-Therfore, a multidimensional approach to hearing rehabilitation is necessary to cover central aspects of everyday life and that the TOOL supports this approach. |