Despite best practices, many clients eventually discontinue using their hearing aids. Though a number of reasons may explain this behavior, declining patient satisfaction is perhaps one of the most significant. The articles in this journal self-study explore ways to improve hearing aid outcomes by targeting patient satisfaction through increased self-efficacy. The first article establishes an overall framework for client satisfaction by identifying essential concepts underlying hearing aid management. The second article describes a new area of research regarding self-fitting, which promotes self-efficacy by involving clients in adjusting their own hearing aids from day 1. The third article examines psychosocial benefits and improved satisfaction resulting from hearing aid trials. The final article empirically tests the connection between self-efficacy of specific management skills and hearing aid satisfaction.

Learning Outcomes
You will be able to:

• identify ways to improve the device-related education and skills of hearing aid users
• summarize findings related to self-fitting protocols for hearing aid users
• discuss potential psychosocial benefits from hearing aid trial periods
• explain the relationship between self-efficacy and hearing aid satisfaction

Learning Assessment
Online, multiple-choice exam