Table 2. Response Theme, Example, and Frequency of Common Words 59 Patients With Hearing Loss Misheard.

Theme	Example of Patient Comment	No. (%)
Consultation content
Occasions when problems of mishearing and/or misinterpretation are focused on illness-related or treatment-related information (eg, diagnosis, prognosis, medication dose/regimen)	“I suppose when the doctors are speaking, you know, they have their own words and you’d have to ask.” “I think definitions of illness…” “Instructions they’re giving me…” “Just explaining your condition or even medication…”	21 (36)
Nonspecific and/or unlimited
Occasions when problems of mishearing are not limited to a discrete aspect of the consultation	“…you can’t bring it down to one word at all, like, you know, like, it’s general.” “I wouldn’t hear a whole sentence sometimes maybe.” “I probably miss half of what he says to me.”	17 (29)
Doctor-patient or nurse-patient communication breakdown
Occasions when problems of mishearing and/or misinterpretation are attributed to difficulties in verbal or non-verbal communication between the physician/nurse and the patient	“Some people talk so fast you’d miss what they’re saying…” “…if there’s 2 or 3 people talking together…” “…it depends on how loud or how low he talks to you.” “If you’re talking to me, look at me.”	16 (27)
Use of language
Occasions when problems of mishearing are language-dependent	“It depends on how one pronounces things.” “Similar sounding words would be the ones that would catch you.”	6 (10)
Selective deafness
Occasions when problems of mishearing are deliberate or intentional	“You’re not listening to what you don’t want to hear.”	4 (7)
Occasions of hospital setting–specific mishearing	“…if there’s a bit of noise around I can’t hear.” “…if there’s a bit of noise around, you know?”	2 (3.5)