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Biomedical subjects

S D Stephens

Publications and source records attributed to S D Stephens.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Assessing hearing problems within a community survey.

Community surveys are increasingly being used as a method of collecting health and lifestyle data. This report describes the use of a simple question on hearing difficulties within such a survey. A systematic sample of 2.5% of the electoral register of the four Parliamentary constituencies of Cardiff, Wales, was drawn. Of the 5145 individuals in the sample, 83% responded. Age and social class explained much of the variability in reported hearing difficulties. A recent fall and cigarette consumption were associated with hearing problems, but the contribution of alcohol consumption while potentially important did not reach statistical significance. This self-administered community survey provided hearing data which are consistent with other specialized studies and is a viable route for the assessment of community needs.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1991

A controlled trial of azapropazone in tinnitus.

A single-blind placebo-controlled trial of azapropazone, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, is presented in 10 patients with tinnitus. Seventeen variables were assessed by questionnaire and six by a daily diary. In none of these was there a significant difference between placebo and drug. A larger trial is probably therefore not justified.

Apazone↗
PubMed1990

Hearing disability in people aged 50-65: effectiveness and acceptability of rehabilitative intervention.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the best means of detecting hearing disability in subjects aged 50-65 and whether rehabilitative intervention is acceptable in this age group. DESIGN: Questionnaire survey of patients on general practice age-sex registers. Two types of questionnaire were used, one being based on the closed set approach of the Institute of Hearing Research questionnaire, which had been used in a pilot study, and the other being a simplified version of this questionnaire developed by the Welsh Hearing Institute and based on open set questions. Questionnaires were sent up to three times, and any patients who had not responded two months after the last posting were personally contacted. SETTING: Two general practices in Glyncorrwg and Blaengwynfi in the Afan valley, West Glamorgan. PATIENTS: 271 Patients in Glyncorrwg (136 men, 135 women) and 333 patients in Blaengwynfi (173 men, 160 women) aged 50-65. INTERVENTIONS: All patients indicating hearing disability in answering the questionnaires were invited to attend for a evaluative session in their village. After audiometric testing advice and arrangements for fitting a hearing aid were offered as appropriate. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Response rates and prevalence of hearing disability before intervention and of possession of hearing aids before and after intervention. RESULTS: After three postings and personal contact the response rate was 98% (266/271) in Glyncorrwg, where the complex questionnaire was used, and 97% (322/333) in Blaengwynfi. The prevalence of hearing disability was respectively 53% (141/266) and 46% (148/322) and the prevalence of owning a hearing aid 7% (19/266) and 8% (24/322). After intervention the possession of hearing aids rose to 24% (64/266) in Glyncorrwg and 22% (71/322) in Blaengwynfi; six months later the aids were being used regularly. A direct comparison of the two questionnaires in 69 subjects from Blaengwynfi showed no significant differences in the amount of disability detected by each one. The first posting of questionnaires detected 65% (189/289) of the hearing disability in the two villages or 78% (72/92) of those prepared to accept hearing aids for the first time; 96% (88/92) of those who accepted hearing aids were detected by two postings. CONCLUSIONS: Simple questionnaires are effective in detecting hearing disabilities in people aged 50-65, and intervention was acceptable in many of those who reported having difficulties in hearing. The response rates from successive postings suggest that two postings are sufficient in terms of the return in detecting those who will accept intervention.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

St Cadoc and the healing of the deaf.

This manuscript traces the traditions of the healing of the deaf associated with St Cadoc. While Saint Cadoc was Welsh, the traditions associated with him are found in Brittany. It seems likely that they originated there as pre-Christian healing traditions which were subsequently incorporated into those associated with the Church. The centre of these traditions was (and is) St Cado in the South of Brittany, near Carnac.

Deafness↗
PubMed1990

Implications of hearing impairment for elderly people in London and in Wales.

This paper explores some of the social implications of hearing impairment in two different populations of elderly people as they affect help-seeking activity. In both populations we found reduced out-of-door activities due to hearing loss, poor insight into the existence of hearing loss, substantial denial of such loss, insufficient support from the general practitioner and poor uptake of rehabilitation services (the hearing aid). The need for services was found to be greater in the area of greater socio-economic deprivation. These findings must be viewed together with earlier work which found a significant association between hearing loss and depression in old age.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Early intervention and rehabilitation: factors influencing outcome.

Detection of hearing disability in a pre-retirement working class population of people aged 50-65 years has been achieved using simple questionnaires. Patients who reported disability were offered rehabilitation, including hearing aids, and the hearing aids use increased from 7% to 23% of the population. Those who accepted or refused hearing aids differed only minimally in mean worse or better ear hearing levels, but markedly in terms of hearing handicap. Similarly, those who indicated that they would like help with their hearing had increased disability and handicap levels but hearing levels no different from those who did not want help. Tinnitus in addition to hearing disability increased the individual's acceptance of a hearing aid. Sex, social class and exposure to occupational noise had no significant effect.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Physical handling of hearing aids by the elderly.

In an attempt to overcome handling problems with hearing aids in elderly patients, we have examined the prevalence of anticipated handling problems in this group and their ability to cope with different types of ear moulds and hearing aids. Increased total prevalence of anticipated problems was found only in the 85+ age group, although anticipated handling problems increased markedly in the 75+ age group. Patients over 75 years found it significantly easier to handle postaural aids with modified skeleton moulds than temporary tips or standard skeletons. They also coped less well with in-the-ear aids and failed to show the increased reduction in disability found with those aids in the younger groups.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Characteristics of self-reported hearing problems in a community survey.

The Cardiff Health Survey included a question asking whether the respondents had any difficulties with their hearing and, if so, to specify the biggest difficulty. This self-completed questionnaire was administered to 4,266 individuals randomly sampled from the electoral register of Cardiff in 1986. 14.7% of those responding indicated a hearing disability; and the main specific disabilities listed are described. The commonest complaints were of difficulties hearing the television and radio, and with general conversation. A number of other specific complaints were reported similar to those found in previous studies with the 'Problems Questionnaire'. Age, social class, general health, smoking and the individual's attitudes were found to influence the pattern of response.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1989

A comparison of three types of earmoulds in elderly users of post-aural hearing aids.

The objective of this study was to assess the ease of handling, comfort, and general effectiveness of three types of earmould in patients who, due to their age, could be expected to experience handling difficulties. The three mould types were, meatal tip, skeleton and skeleton with the 'top prong' removed. The results indicated that the skeleton with the top prong removed was the best in all contexts but one. It was easiest and quickest to fit and least likely to be badly fitted. Only in feedback control did it perform less well. It was concluded that it should be routinely used for elderly patients fitted with low gain hearing aids.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Prawf Geiriau Caerdydd--a Welsh language speech test.

We have developed a set of six isophonemic word lists in Welsh, each comprising 16 vowel-consonant-vowel (VCV) words. They include the 20 commonest consonants and the 16 commonest vowel/diphthongs in Welsh, and all six lists give equivalent scores. Examination of error patterns indicates a number of differences from those found in English including a lack of voiced/voiceless confusions and an adherence to the phonotactic constraints of the Welsh language.

Humans↗
PubMed1989

Problems of the hearing impaired in Poland.

Auditory disability was studied in a group of 140 Polish hearing aid candidates using an oral presentation of the problem questionnaire of Barcham and Stephens (1980). The overall pattern of problems reported by Polish hearing-impaired patients was similar to that found among English respondents. Some difference in the prevalence of the problems emerged which may result from the different socio-economic situations in the two countries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Self-reported benefits of hearing aids by the hearing impaired.

Benefits of hearing aids were studied in a group of 169 patients using an open-ended self-report approach. The overall pattern of benefits was qualitatively similar to the pattern of complaints reported by candidates for hearing aids (Golabek et al., 1988). The response pattern was related to the age and work of the hearing aid users, to the level of the hearing loss in the better ear and to the amount of use of the hearing aid.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Tympanometry as a screening test for treatable hearing loss in the elderly.

One hundred and fourteen adults with hearing loss, but without otorrhoea, were studied with the aim of establishing whether tympanometry could be used as a screening test to identify potentially treatable aural pathology. Tympanometry was compared with independent otoscopy. No middle ear pathology likely to be of significance in an elderly person was found in ears with a normal tympanogram. All ears with significant pathology gave an abnormal tympanogram, and in addition there was a false positive rate of 6.8%. We suggest that elderly patients with dry ears and a normal tympanogram could be fitted with a hearing aid without specialist otological examination.

Acoustic Impedance Tests↗
PubMed1987

A double blind cross-over study of high-frequency emphasis hearing aids in individuals with noise-induced hearing loss.

This study compared the benefits of a high-frequency emphasis hearing aid and a more conventional, flatter response aid. Subjects with moderate noise-induced hearing loss were fitted binaurally within a double blind procedure. Each aid type was worn for 1 month, during which the subjects completed diaries concerning their problems in various listening situations. At the end of each month, a satisfaction questionnaire was completed and free field assessment, consisting of speech in noise discrimination measurement and warble tone threshold determinations, was performed. Results indicated that although there were few significant differences found between the aids using any of the assessment techniques, the subjects generally preferred the aid with the high-frequency emphasis.

Consumer Behavior↗
PubMed1987

Multivariate analyses of tinnitus complaint and change in tinnitus complaint: a masker study.

Multivariate statistical techniques were used to re-analyse the data from the recent DHSS multi-centre masker study. These analyses were undertaken to three ends. First, to clarify and attempt to replicate the previously found factor structure of complaints about tinnitus. Secondly, to attempt to identify common factors in the change or improvement measures pre- and post-masker treatment. Thirdly, to identify predictors of any such outcome factors. Two complaint factors were identified; 'Distress' and 'intrusiveness'. A series of analyses were conducted on change measures using different numbers of subjects and variables. When only semantic differential scales were used, the change factors were very similar to the complaint factors noted above. When variables measuring other aspects of improvement were included, several other factors were identified. These included; 'tinnitus helped', 'masking effects', 'residual inhibition' and 'matched loudness'. Twenty-five conceptually distinct predictors of outcome were identified. These predictor variables were quite different for different outcome factors. For example, high-frequency hearing loss was a predictor of tinnitus being helped by the masker, and a low frequency match and a low masking threshold predicted therapeutic success on residual inhibition. Decrease in matched loudness was predicted by louder tinnitus initially.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1986

Tinnitus: a management model.

A comprehensive model of tinnitus management is proposed. As it is rarely possible to abolish the symptom, management of the tinnitus patient must aim at precipitating the habituation process. The model is split into 'evaluation' and 'remediation' sections. In each section the various aspects of management are discussed. Together with traditional factors, the importance of psychological processes is stressed. The role of the expectations of the patient in limiting remedial possibilities is also discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗