The International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA) and Its Correlation With World Health Organization Quality of Life – Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) in Assessing the Quality of Life of Patients With Hearing Loss Using Hearing Aids

Background The auditory impairment can have a significant impact on communication, mental health, and interpersonal interaction. One of the main interventions to combat these effects is hearing aids, although their real-life efficiency and their impact on the quality of life differ among users. In this study, the efficacy of hearing aids and their correlation with the World Health Organization Quality of Life - Brief version (WHOQOL-BREF) in hearing aid wearers were assessed using the International Outcome Inventory-Hearing Aids (IOI-HA). Methods The study was performed as cross-sectional research at the Armed Forces Hospital-Southern Region (AFHSR), Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia, between August 2021 and May 2022. A sample of 210 adults of the age group between 18 to 65 years with confirmed hearing loss and prescribed conventional hearing aids was used. The interviews and electronic medical record data were considered, in which demographics, hearing aid features, IOI-HA scores, and WHOQOL-BREF answers were considered. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 22 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY). Results The average IOI-HA score was 23.8 ± 6.4, with 41.9% (88 participants) of wearers using hearing aids more than eight hours a day and 30.5% (64 participants) claiming the considerable assistance of their aids. Moderate hearing loss, longer hearing aid use, and increased perception of benefit emerged as the factors relating to higher IOI-HA scores. The IOI-HA and WHOQOL-BREF scores showed a positive association, with the psychological and social areas showing the strongest link. Conclusion Hearing Aids effectively improve the lives of people with decreased hearing, especially after over a year of usage. Combining hearing-specific outcome measures with measures of the broader quality of life gives a better picture of the patient experience and can drive more personalized and effective strategies of hearing rehabilitation.