To investigate the relationship between daily manual abilities, as measured by the ABILHAND questionnaire in hearing aid users, and their hearing aid handling skills, independently assessed by a panel of Hearing Care Professionals (HCPs) using a dedicated questionnaire. The study aimed to assess the potential of the ABILHAND questionnaire as a tool to guide HCPs in hearing aid choices.
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
If validated further, the ABILHAND questionnaire could offer audiologists a quick, standardized way to flag patients who may struggle with hearing aid handling, enabling earlier dexterity-targeted counseling or device selection.
Manual dexterity is a clinically underassessed factor in hearing aid success; a validated standardized tool could meaningfully reduce device rejection and improve outcomes, especially in older or motor-impaired patients.
- 01Investigated ABILHAND questionnaire as a standardized measure of manual dexterity in hearing aid users.
- 02Examines correlation between daily hand dexterity scores and hearing aid handling skills.
- 03Standardized dexterity assessment could improve device fitting decisions and patient counseling.
- 04Relevant particularly for older adults and patients with conditions affecting fine motor control.
- 05Published in International Journal of Audiology (doi: 10.1080/14992027.2026.2710963).
ABILHAND questionnaire scores correlate with hearing aid handling skills in hearing aid users.
studypartially supportedABILHAND can serve as a standardized assessment of manual dexterity relevant to hearing aid management.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42557793
- DOI
- 10.1080/14992027.2026.2710963.
- Journal
- International Journal of Audiology
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Hearing aid users
- Intervention
- ABILHAND questionnaire assessment of manual dexterity
Primary outcomes
Correlation between ABILHAND scores and hearing aid handling skills; Feasibility of ABILHAND as a standardized dexterity assessment for hearing aid users