My hearing explained for children: exploring use of this discussion tool in clinical practice

To explore the clinical use of ‘My Hearing Explained for Children’ (MHEfC) with children aged 8-11 years, from the perspectives of the child, parents and audiologist. A mixed methods randomised control trial. Participants completed evaluation questionnaires after their appointment. Statistical and thematic analyses were used to examine the rating scale and open response elements of the questionnaires respectively. 45 families participated, 24 randomised to MHEfC and 21 to standard care. Use of MHEfC increased the appointment duration by 8.2 minutes (95% CI 4.1 to 14.2 minutes), which was acceptable to parents (96%) and audiologists (67%). It promoted conversation around ‘behavioural and communication tactics’, ‘specific listening situations’ and ‘listening effort’ at the expense of ‘anatomy/physiology/aetiology’. MHEfC positively impacted the discussion of test results (54%); ease of finding joint solutions to problems (71%); and the nature of issues and management options discussed (54%). Parental satisfaction with discussion was high on both pathways, so some parents and audiologists questioned MHEfC necessity and recommended targeted use in future. MHEfC was acceptable to children (70%) and parents (86%). It successfully promoted child-centred topics of discussion and can positively impact discussion outcomes.