Motivational factors can be determined by interviewing the patient and obtaining information regarding the impact of the hearing loss on everyday life and the patient's perceived need for amplification. Patients who are highly motivated and perceive that they will hear better with hearing aids or that their understanding of speech will improve with hearing aids are most likely to adapt to and obtain maximum use from the aid.

A variety of hearing-handicap scales can be used to measure the self-perceived hearing handicap of a patient. Several self-report scales, including the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) and the Client Oriented Scale of Improvement (COSI), are relatively short and assess the areas of hearing handicap, including the social and emotional effects of hearing loss. These scales also can be used after fitting of the hearing aid to determine the benefit of its use.

Motivation and the amount of perceived handicap are major factors in determining the candidacy for hearing aid use in adults.

Any child with a verifiable hearing loss is a candidate for amplification. A combination of objective electrophysiologic tests and behavioral tests usually are needed to determine the degree, type, and configuration of the hearing loss when evaluating a young child.

Infants who are identified with sensorineural hearing loss can be fit with amplification when younger than 6 months. Because behavioral test results at this age are limited, electrophysiologic test results primarily are used to determine hearing aid candidacy.

With all very young children, the hearing aid evaluation and fitting process should be ongoing. Children need to be monitored on a regular basis to determine if the fit of the hearing aid is appropriate and if the aid is set for maximum aided results.

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