Synopsis
This mixed-methods study explored the impact of the Ida Institute’s MHE tool on audiologists’ language and patients’ understanding and interpretation of their hearing test results. The findings suggest that relative to standard audiogram explanations, audiologists used simpler language and less jargon when using the MHE tool, and audiologist-patient interactivity was greater. From the patients’ perspective, there was also less demand for takeaway information, they considered the MHE tool helpful for explaining results to others, and they made fewer recall errors about their hearing loss. We therefore conclude that the MHE could be a valuable tool for improving the accessibility and comprehensibility of hearing test result explanations. However, data from larger samples of patients and audiologists are needed to test the significance of these observations.