الفهرس 
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Abstract
Hearing loss is a common health condition in early middle age (ages
35-44), late middle age (ages 45-64), and late adulthood (ages sixty-five
and older)
Hearing loss can have adverse effects on various aspects of an
individual’s life across interrelated and interconnected domains including
1) hearing and communication, 2) behavior and social interaction, and 3)
emotions, identity, and psychological well-being
The approach to treating hearing loss varies depending on
individual’s specific type of hearing loss, their daily lifestyle needs,
personal preferences, and financial capabilities.
The field of hearing technology is constantly evolving, offering a
wide array of products from traditional hearing aids, to consumer-tech
devices and hearing assistive technologies
There are many factors influencing help-seeking behavior, uptake of
hearing aids, usage, and satisfaction with hearing devices. These factors
are biological, psychological and social factors
By adopting a biopsychosocial approach, clinicians and researchers
can take into account the interplay between these biological,
psychological, and social factors when investigating the gap between selfreported limitations and actual usage or satisfaction with hearing aids.
Summary
148
So there is need for paradigm shift from biomedical approach to
biopsychosocial approach in dealing with hearing loss
The reasons for the paradigm shift can be attributed to several factors.
Firstly, the dominant biomedical model of hearing loss focuses primarily
on the medical aspects, neglecting the broader dimensions of hearing,
communication, and conversation disabilities. Additionally, barriers such
as limited time in appointments, lack of workplace support, inadequate
knowledge and skills in recognizing psychological symptoms, insufficient
training in mental health, and the absence of outcome measures capturing
individuals’ concerns contribute to healthcare professionals not adequately
addressing these broader aspects.
The importance of applying a multidimensional approach in treating
patients with hearing loss is increasingly acknowledged within the clinical
audiological setting . However, there is still no consensus of which
measurement instruments to be used,
To do so, applying the World Health Organization’s International
Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) framework was
found to be an ideal design foundation. In the ICF, functioning refers to
positive aspects of Body Functions, Activities, and Participation, while
disability refers to impairments, activity limitations, and participation
restrictions, in which both aspects can be influenced by a health
condition(s) and or contextual (personal and environmental) factors
Summary
149
The development of the ICF Core Sets for hearing loss project was
initiated by several organizations, including the Nordic Audiological
Society, the ICF Research Branch, the World Health Organization, and
others. The ICF core sets includes comprehensive and brief core set
The development of the HEAL-COMMAND Tool, a questionnaire
based on the ICF framework, benefited greatly from the collaboration of
an international team of experts with diverse scientific backgrounds. This
team consisted of experts from Germany, the United States, and the
Netherlands, bringing together their expertise in audiology, medicine,
psychology, neuropsychology, ICF applications, and questionnaire design.
The diverse expertise of the team members contributes to the
robustness and validity of the HEAL-COMMAND Tool, making it
suitable for international use
Our study aimed to develop an Arabic version of the HEALCOMMAND Tool and assess its validity which is the primary aim This
involves evaluating the content validity of the questionnaire items and
examining the reliability and psychometric aspects of the instrument.
Additionally, the study has a secondary aim, which is to compare the
impact of English, German, and Arabic data collection approaches on
disability rates.
This is the first study to develop and validate an Arabic version of the
HEAL-COMMAND Tool questionnaire.
Summary
150
The study was carried out on 80 subjects divided into 4 groups: 20
individuals had normal hearing with subjective hearing difficulty, 20
patients with mild hearing loss (unaided), 20 patients with moderate
hearing loss (unaided), and 20 patients with moderate hearing loss (aided)
indicating the use of hearing aids
Data collection was divided into 2 phases. Phase 1 includes
Quantitative and Qualitative data collection from 30 subjects and Phase 2
includes quantitative data collection from 50 subjects using the revised
version.
The results of this study confirm the validity of the Arabic version of
HEAL-COMMAND TOOL. The content of tool seems to be relevant for
adults with hearing loss and confirms that hearing loss is complex, and a
multidimensional approach to hearing rehabilitation is necessary to cover
central aspects of everyday life and that the TOOL supports this approach,
however there is need for larger number of respondents to ensure its
diversity.
Conclusion
1- The results of this study confirm the validity of the Arabic version
of HEAL-COMMAND TOOL.
2- The content of tool seems to be relevant for adults with hearing
loss and confirms that hearing loss is complex and multidimensional
disorder.
3-Therfore, a multidimensional approach to hearing rehabilitation is
necessary to cover central aspects of everyday life and that the TOOL
supports this approach.