Background sounds and hearing-aid users: A scoping review.

AbstractObjectives: A scoping review focused on background sounds and adult hearing-aid users, including aspects of aversiveness and interference. The aim was to establish the current body of knowledge, identify knowledge gaps, and to suggest possible future directions for research. Design: Data were gathered using a systematic search strategy, consistent with scoping review methodology. Study sample: Searches of public databases between 1988 and 2014 returned 1182 published records. After exclusions for duplicates and out-of- scope works, 75 records remained for further analysis. Content analysis was used to group the records into five separate themes. Results: Content analysis indicated numerous themes relating to background sounds. Five broad emergent themes addressed the development and validation of outcome instruments, satisfaction surveys, assessments of hearing-aid technology and signal processing, acclimatization to the device post-fitting, and non-auditory influences on benefit and satisfaction....