The Effect of a Contract on Patient Compliance in an Auditory Training Program

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Date

2014

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Ohio State University. Department of Speech and Hearing Science

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The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect of a signed contract on patient compliance rates with the Listening and Communication Enhancement (LACE) aural rehabilitation program. A secondary purpose of this study was to assess subjective and objective treatment outcomes of the LACE program related to patient compliance rates. Twenty older adults with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and who are users of binaural hearing aids were randomly placed into either the no contract (i.e., control) group or the contract (i.e., experimental) group, with the experimental group signing a contract before beginning the LACE program, and the control group beginning the LACE program without signing a contract. While implementation of a signed contract did not demonstrate a significant increase in compliance rates when compared to the no contract group, it appeared to encourage subject completion of at least half of the LACE program. There were no significant differences present between outcome measure data from pre-treatment to post-treatment in the present study, however, many subjects had little room for improvement, as their baseline measures were good to begin with. Future research should consider determining compliance criteria of the LACE on an individual basis, and using more difficult outcome measures such as the SPIN test. Creation of additional methods that establish the patient as a decision-making partner in therapy and subsequently develop individualized patient motivation to complete recommended training in aural rehabilitation programs should also be considered.

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