This short editorial explores some possible options in measurement of quality of care in audiology. We traditionally tend to use clinician-related outcomes in place of patient-reported outcome measures and so we could miss a wealth of data on the impact of intervention on functional and psychosocial status and patient wellbeing. Furthermore, process-related outcomes regarding individual personalisation of treatment and the way in which service is delivered could highlight whether we are taking a patient-centred approach to care. Outcomes usually used in auditory rehabilitation research are mostly based upon self-reported hearing aid use, adherence, satisfaction and speech recognition but we rarely utilise measures of process and patient-level outcomes as we tend to assume that communication and quality of life have improved if the issued hearing products are not returned. It is therefore suggested that recording outcome measures via validated questions on process and patient-level aspects can both provide evidence for treatment effects on patient function and help shape a patient-centred approach to care.
Outcome measures for hearing loss
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