JAAA CEU Program

Questions refer to Saunders et al, “Description, Normative Data, and Utility of the Hearing Aid Skills and Knowledge Test,” 233–242.

1. According to the findings of Bertoli et al (2009), what is the odds ratio that someone who reports very bad hearing aid management skills will use their hearing aid nonregularly, relative to someone who reports very good hearing aid management skills?

   • 1.76 times more likely to use their hearing aid nonregularly

   • 6.29 times more likely to use their hearing aid nonregularly

   • 13.35 times more likely to use their hearing aid nonregularly

2. Why do Saunders et al propose a hearing aid handling assessment tool should assess knowledge in addition to assessing skills?

   • It is helpful to collect as much data as possible about hearing aid handling for future use in research

   • Someone who cannot manage his/her own hearing aids due to poor vision or manual dexterity could use knowledge to explain to a caregiver or family member how to help

   • Having a skill may not reflect one’s actual knowledge and thus it is important to also assess knowledge

3. HASK skill items are scored as follows:

   • 2 points: Task completed with no difficulty on the first attempt, 1 point: task completed with some difficulty; 0 points: task not completed

   • 3 points: Task completed with no difficulty on the first attempt, 1 point: task completed with some difficulty; 0 points: task not completed

   • 0 points: Task completed with no difficulty on the first attempt, 1 point: task completed with some difficulty; 2 points: task not completed

4. How many possible HASK items are there in total?

   • 26

   • 38

   • 44

5. Did a greater percentage of new or experienced hearing aid users wear their hearing aids for more than eight hours per day?

   • New users

   • Experienced users

   • No difference between the groups

6. Which hearing aid handling skills were least applicable to study participants?

   • Setting hearing aid to telecoil setting, switching between programs, changing the wax guard

   • Aerating the battery, changing the volume setting, switching hearing aid to telecoil setting

   • Removing the battery tab, changing the volume setting, switching hearing aid to telecoil setting, switching between programs

7. Among experienced hearing aid users, scores on the HASK were:

   • positively correlated with hearing aid use and hearing aid satisfaction but were not correlated to age or reported hearing difficulties

   • negatively correlated with age, hearing aid use, and hearing aid satisfaction but were not correlated with reported hearing difficulties

   • negatively correlated with age, positively correlated with hearing aid use but were not correlated with hearing aid satisfaction or reported hearing difficulties

8. The authors report a significant positive correlation between:

   • age and hearing aid knowledge

   • age and hearing aid skill

   • hearing aid use and hearing aid knowledge and skill

9. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) are useful for comparing interrater reliability. What ICC value indicated ‘good’ interrater reliability?

   • ICC of 0.70–0.79

   • ICC of 0.80–0.89

   • ICC greater than or equal to 0.90

10. According to Saunders et al, the significant positive correlations between HASK scores and hearing aid use and satisfaction suggest that:

    • Patients who cannot handle their hearing aids will never be happy with them

    • Audiologists should consider providing alternative interventions to people with low HASK scores

    • The ability to manage hearing aids successfully is integral to a positive hearing aid outcome

No conflict of interest has been declared by the author(s).