Assessing a Measure of Participation Version 1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessing the reliability and validity of a measure of participation in adults with hearing loss
IRAS ID
177052
Contact name
Neil Coulson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 30 days
Research summary
This research aims to assess the quality of a new questionnaire that measures the impact of hearing loss on participation. Participation means taking part in life situations, including family, work, friendships and pastimes. Hearing loss can make it difficult for people to participate in life situations, as it makes communication with other people difficult. It is very important for both researchers and clinicians to measure whether participation is improved by wearing hearing aids and other interventions for hearing loss. This study will assess whether the new participation questionnaire could be used for this purpose.
There will be three phases of research. The first phase will assess the content of the questionnaire. Researchers and clinicians will complete a form where they will assess the clarity and suitability of the questionnaire. Adults who have hearing loss will take part in a one-to-one interview where they will discuss the clarity and suitability of the questionnaire.The second phase will assess whether the questionnaire truly measures participation. Adults who have hearing loss will fill out the participation questionnaire. They will also fill out three well-known questionnaires that measure (1) the social and emotional impact of hearing loss (2) general health and (3) depression and anxiety. The participants will also provide information about their hearing loss and their characteristics (e.g. age, gender). The information gathered will be statistically analysed. This will highlight any questions that should be removed from the questionnaire and show the relationships between the new questionnaire and the well-known questionnaires.
The third phase will have largely the same procedure as the second. Two weeks after they have filled out the questionnaires mentioned above, the participants will fill out the participation questionnaire for a second time. The information gathered will be statistically analysed to see whether the questionnaire is a stable measure of participation.
REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NE/0124
Date of REC Opinion
2 Apr 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion