Hearing loss and quality of life

We’ve received a request from the Office of Health Economics for help with a research project:-

“We are looking to recruit individuals aged 18 years and over in the UK. Most importantly, we need to recruit people with a broad range of types, severity and causes of hearing difficulties.

“We will invite people to participate in a discussion group to discuss their experiences and perspectives. Discussion groups will use text-based online discussion boards or a weekday afternoon Zoom session for BSL users.

“You can read more about our study in the participant information sheet, available via the link to our website.

“Briefly, the study seeks to improve how health is described for individuals with hearing impairments. At present, the EQ-5D questionnaire is used to inform health care investment decisions and describes people’s health states in terms of:-

1) mobility

2) self-care

3) usual activities

4) pain/discomfort

5) anxiety/depression

“Previous research has shown that the EQ-5D might not do a good job of describing health states for people with hearing problems. Some researchers have suggested adding extra questions relevant to hearing. The wording of the questions and the response options is very important because they can affect the way health states are described.

“The aim of our project is to develop suitable terminology that will capture the effects of hearing impairments.”