Factors that Affect the Vanderbilt Fatigue Scale (VFS) in Adults with Hearing Technology
Abstract
Listening fatigue is a significant concern for adults who experience hearing loss, as increased listening effort can lead to mental and physical exhaustion. Adults with hearing loss can reduce listening fatigue with proper amplification such as hearing aids and cochlear implants. This technology is designed to improve difficult listening situations by improving the user’s speech understanding. The Vanderbilt Fatigue Scale (VFS) is a tool designed to assess fatigue specifically in individuals with hearing impairment. The purpose of this study is to measure reported fatigue with the VFS for hearing aid, cochlear implant, or bimodal users. The study addresses the following questions: 1. Will listening fatigue vary across types of technology used? 2. Will length of device use impact listening fatigue? 3. Will daily wear time impact listening fatigue? We predict that technology will impact listening fatigue, in that cochlear implant users will have the highest amount of reported fatigue on the VFS, followed by bimodal users, then hearing aid users. We expect the length of device use to correlate with perceived listening fatigue, i.e., new users will experience more fatigue than experienced users. Eight adults between the ages of 18-88 that are established patients at the ETSU Nave Audiology Clinic were recruited. The VFS was completed at the end of their scheduled appointment time. Data analysis will be completed using the ANOVA statistical analysis to measure differences across the three groups (hearing aid users, cochlear implant users, and bimodal users) for reported fatigue. The covariates to determine fatigue (VFS) will include daily wear time, and length of device use. Data analysis is underway and will be completed by end of March.
Start Time
16-4-2025 9:00 AM
End Time
16-4-2025 11:30 AM
Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Category
Health
Student Type
Graduate Student - Doctoral
Faculty Mentor
Marcy Hite
Faculty Department
Audiology and Speech Language Pathology
Factors that Affect the Vanderbilt Fatigue Scale (VFS) in Adults with Hearing Technology
Listening fatigue is a significant concern for adults who experience hearing loss, as increased listening effort can lead to mental and physical exhaustion. Adults with hearing loss can reduce listening fatigue with proper amplification such as hearing aids and cochlear implants. This technology is designed to improve difficult listening situations by improving the user’s speech understanding. The Vanderbilt Fatigue Scale (VFS) is a tool designed to assess fatigue specifically in individuals with hearing impairment. The purpose of this study is to measure reported fatigue with the VFS for hearing aid, cochlear implant, or bimodal users. The study addresses the following questions: 1. Will listening fatigue vary across types of technology used? 2. Will length of device use impact listening fatigue? 3. Will daily wear time impact listening fatigue? We predict that technology will impact listening fatigue, in that cochlear implant users will have the highest amount of reported fatigue on the VFS, followed by bimodal users, then hearing aid users. We expect the length of device use to correlate with perceived listening fatigue, i.e., new users will experience more fatigue than experienced users. Eight adults between the ages of 18-88 that are established patients at the ETSU Nave Audiology Clinic were recruited. The VFS was completed at the end of their scheduled appointment time. Data analysis will be completed using the ANOVA statistical analysis to measure differences across the three groups (hearing aid users, cochlear implant users, and bimodal users) for reported fatigue. The covariates to determine fatigue (VFS) will include daily wear time, and length of device use. Data analysis is underway and will be completed by end of March.