Test-retest reliability of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE-S) for the Azorean Portuguese-speaking elderly

The Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) and its screening version (HHIE-S) have been popular tools for use in rehabilitative planning. Given the growing diversity of audiologists' caseloads, the need for translated versions of self-assessment tools is growing. A Brazilian Portuguese form of the HHIE-S has been in use; however, its reliability has not been determined nor has it been translated and psychometrically evaluated for specific use with the Azorean Portuguese-speaking population. Working in a city with a large Azorean Portuguese-speaking population, it is necessary to provide language-appropriate tools to determine the rehabilitative need of hearing impaired patients who are not fluent in English. In this study, a Portuguese translation of the HHIE-S was administered to 20 Azorean Portuguese-speaking hearing impaired adults. Test-retest reliability and Cronbach's alpha results showed this version of the HHIE-S to have excellent reliability and internal consistency. The results of this study demonstrate the value of the HHIE-S even when used in the context of a translated foreign version. This tool will help to provide another valuable means of understanding the impact of hearing loss and the possible benefits of amplification for hearing impaired persons and their families who are native speakers of Azorean Portuguese.