Parental Satisfaction in Tele and Face-to-Face Listening Training: Insights from COVID-19 Pandemic

Background and Aim: The use of tele-intervention services in audiology has grown exponentially, as it has the potential to address many of the key challenges during the pandemic. The present study focused on the survey of parental satisfaction on listening therapy of their Hearing-Impaired (HI) children in tele and face-to-face mode during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Parents of children with Hearing Impairment (HI) who attended tele and face-to-face therapy sessions participated in the study. Group I participants were 25 parents of 0-3 years' children with HI (mean age 1.8 +/- 0.25 y), while Group II had 25 parents of children with HI aged 3.1-5 years (mean age 4.1 +/- 0.33 y). The adapted and validated questionnaire was administered. Results: Frequency count and percentage were detailed for all questions across groups. The chi-square test of association revealed a significant difference between the tele and face-to-face therapy across the ratings in both groups, with parents rating better satisfaction and therapy efficacy in face-to-face therapy compared to tele-therapy. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that few questions can best categorize the variance in satisfactory ratings between the two therapy conditions. Conclusion: The findings of the study showed that tele-listening therapy appears to be a promising rehabilitative option in the COVID-19 pandemic when factors affecting its successful implementation are considered, although in the present conditions parental satisfaction ratings are higher for face-to-face therapy.