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PubMed1991

Considerations in design and use of scales in rehabilitative audiology.

Self-assessment questionnaires in rehabilitative audiology typically possess the measurement characteristics of scales based on forced-choice and rank-order. Data from these ordinal scales neither support arithmetic analysis nor arithmetic interpretation. However, powerful nonparametric statistics are available for application to data from ordinal level questionnaires. Thus, methodologic principles influence the way self-assessment scales are designed, constructed, and analyzed. They also influence the way clinicians interpret responses from individual patients. Within these constraints, well constructed questionnaires can provide information on a wide range of topics in rehabilitative audiology. Suggestions are given for generating interval level questionnaires that are more precise than existing, ordinal level scales.

Audiology↗

PubMed1990

Case study examples using self-assessment.

The following case studies demonstrate the application of self-assessment techniques. The selection of procedures reported here is not meant to imply necessarily that these procedures are more or less effective or more widely used than other available self-assessment tests, but rather to illustrate the various purposes for which self-assessment tools may be employed. Case 1 illustrates the contribution of data obtained from the Hearing Performance Inventory (Giolas, Owens, Lamb, & Shubert, 1979) in the management and counseling of a severely hearing impaired adult. Case 2 involves the use of the Hearing Problem Inventory developed by Hutton in Atlanta (HPI-A, Hutton, 1987). Application of the Self-Assessment of Communication (SAC) and Significant Other Assessment of Communication (SOAC) (Schow and Nerbonne, 1982) is shown in Case 3, whereas Case 4 demonstrates the usefulness of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE, Ventry and Weinstein, 1982). Both the SAC/SOAC and HHIE batteries involve problem cases associated with hearing aid fitting and assessment of benefit. The final illustration (Case 5) is a report on the Children's Auditory Processing Performance Scale (CHAPPS), a new questionnaire developed by Smoski, Brunt, and Tannahill/ISHA (1987) for assessing parent's judgment of children's listening abilities (Appendix). The versatility of self-assessment applications across a broad assortment of impairment levels, age groups, and clinical settings is demonstrated in these cases. Hopefully the reader will see more clearly the application and value of these and other non-audiometric techniques and will be motivated to increase the use of self-assessment tools in the individual work setting.

Adult↗