EBP Compendium: Summary of Systematic Review
Efficacy of Individual Auditory Training in Adults: A Systematic Review of the Evidence
Sweetow, R., & Palmer, C. V.
(2005).
Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 16(7), 494-504.
Indicators of Review Quality:
|
The review addresses a clearly focused question
| Yes |
|
Criteria for inclusion of studies are provided
| Yes |
|
Search strategy is described in sufficient detail for replication
| Yes |
|
Included studies are assessed for study quality
| Yes |
|
Quality assessments are reproducible
| Yes |
Description: This is a review of randomized controlled trials, nonrandomized controlled trials, cohort, and before/after designs with or without control groups addressing the efficacy of individual auditory training (AT) for adults with hearing impairment.
Question(s) Addressed:
Is there evidence of improvement in communication skills through individual auditory training in an adult hearing-impaired population?
Population: Hearing-impaired adults
Intervention/Assessment: Individual auditory training
Number of Studies Included: 6
Years Included: No date limit (not further specified)
Findings:
Conclusions:
- Treatment
- Hearing
- Auditory Training
- “This systematic review provides very little evidence for the effectiveness of individual AT. However, there is some evidence supporting efficacy" (p. 501).
- The literature produced inconsistent conclusions regarding the efficiency of individual auditory training, however some trends were apparent. Trends suggest that synthetic training may train better use of active listening strategies in hearing-impaired individuals and some studies further suggest that speech recognition skills, especially speech in noise, may be improved by synthetic training. There is less certainty in regard to the contribution of analytic training.
Keywords: Hearing Loss, Aural Rehabilitation
Access the Review
Added to Compendium: December 2011