Knowledge Is Power: Improving Outcomes for Patients, Partners, and Professionals in the Digital Age

What is it about?

Hearing aids are complex electronic devices, difficult to use, and take time to get used to. Many end up “in the drawer” and at 1.2m hearing aids prescribed each year in the UK, that’s a lot of hearing aids, and a lot of people suffering. Yet hearing aids are effective, reduce social isolation, improve quality of life, and transform lives. C2Hear, a multimedia eHealth educational programme, was co-produced with patients and audiologists to improve hearing aid-related knowledge and skills, and increase hearing aid use. A large clinical trial showed that C2Hear did all that and more. C2Hear increased hearing aid satisfaction, confidence and reduced anxiety. Patients liked C2Hear; videos were rated 9/10 for usefulness, 97% found C2Hear enjoyable, and more than 4 out of 5 would recommend C2Hear to others. To maximise reach and accessibility C2Hear Online is freely available on YouTube with more than 120,000 views internationally. C2Hear is on more than 30 NHS audiology and social care departmental websites, and is included in recent NICE guidelines for Hearing loss as a recommended patient resource. A university impact award is funding a national campaign to implement C2Hear in all 200 UK audiology departments,

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