Purpose
To evaluate if teleconsultation affects professional-patient communication as well as patient satisfaction with the care for the hearing aid programming and fitting compared to the face to face consultation.
Methods
Forty hearing aid candidates aged over 18 years with symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss ,from mild to severe degrees, were randomly divided into two groups: control (face to face) and experimental (synchronous teleconsultation assisted by a facilitator). Consultations were filmed, timed and their contents were analyzed according to the “Davis Observation Code” (DOC). The “Patient Experience Questionnaire” (PEQ) was also administered in order to assess the satisfaction with the consultation.
Results
When compared to face to face consultations, explanations given by the professionals on the consultation structure and the performance of procedures were more frequent and participant’ spontaneous expressions on his condition were less observed in teleconsultations. There was no difference between groups regarding the following dimensions of the PEQ: “Outcomes of the Visit”, “Communication Barriers”, and “Communication Experience”. Significantly higher scores were obtained for teleconsultation in the dimension “Emotions after Consultation”. The experimental group had a positive experience with the presence of the facilitator.
Conclusion
The performance of the hearing aid programming and fitting via teleconsultation impacted some aspects of professional-patient communication; however, patient satisfaction regarding the care provided was not affected.
Teleconsultation; Hearing loss; Counseling; Hearing aids; Audiology
