Clinical Trial: Variability In Hearing Aid Outcomes In Older Adults

Study Status: Active, not recruiting
Recruit Status: Active, not recruiting
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Characterizing Variability in Hearing Aid Outcomes Among Older Adults

Brief Summary: The goal of this project is to find out if the way a hearing aid processes a sound signal should be determined in part by an individual's cognitive characteristics. We anticipate that the outcome of this work will be a battery of assessments that will guide hearing aid processing for older patients with hearing loss.

Detailed Summary: Response to hearing aids is highly variable, with some individuals reporting much more benefit than others. Preliminary work by our laboratory and others suggests that patient factors—including cognition—may contribute to differences in how individuals respond to altered speech cues, such as those alterations introduced by hearing aid processing. The long-term goal of this work is to improve hearing aid outcomes by optimizing hearing aid processing for each individual.
Sponsor: Northwestern University

Current Primary Outcome: Speech intelligibility and quality [ Time Frame: Hearing aid fitting, and 6 weeks with fitting A. Hearing aid fitting, and 6 weeks with fitting B. ]

Change in speech intelligibility and quality rating from initial visit score to final visit, as well as comparing scores of both signal processing strategies from fitting A and fitting B.


Original Primary Outcome: Speech intelligibility and quality [ Time Frame: Hearing aid fitting, 3 and 6 weeks with fitting A. Hearing aid fitting, 3 and 6 weeks with fitting B. ]

Change in speech intelligibility and quality rating from initial visit score to midpoint and final visit, as well as comparing scores of both signal processing strategies from fitting A and fitting B.


Current Secondary Outcome:

  • Effectiveness of Aural Rehabilitation (EAR) [ Time Frame: Hearing aid fitting, and 6 weeks with fitting A. Hearing aid fitting, and 6 weeks with fitting B ]
    Within aid comparison as a change in EAR from initial visit score to final measures as well as between fitting A/B comparison.
  • Speech and Spatial Qualities of Hearing (SSQ) questionnaire [ Time Frame: Hearing aid fitting, and 6 weeks with fitting A. Hearing aid fitting, and 6 weeks with fitting B ]
    Within aid comparison as a change in SSQ from initial visit score to final measures as well as between fitting A/B comparison.
  • Adherence [ Time Frame: 6 weeks with fitting A. 6 weeks with fitting B ]
    A change in wearing time comparison between fitting A and fitting B.


Original Secondary Outcome:

  • Effectiveness of Aural Rehabilitation (EAR) [ Time Frame: Hearing aid fitting, 3 weeks and 6 weeks with fitting A. Hearing aid fitting, 3 weeks and 6 weeks with fitting B ]
    Within aid comparison as a change in EAR from initial visit score to midpoint and final measures as well as between fitting A/B comparison.
  • Speech and Spatial Qualities of Hearing (SSQ) questionnaire [ Time Frame: Hearing aid fitting, 3 weeks and 6 weeks with fitting A. Hearing aid fitting, 3 weeks and 6 weeks with fitting B ]
    Within aid comparison as a change in SSQ from initial visit score to midpoint and final measures as well as between fitting A/B comparison.
  • Adherence [ Time Frame: 3 weeks and 6 weeks with fitting A. 3 weeks and 6 weeks with fitting B ]
    Within aid comparison, as a change in total time wearing fitting A or B from 3 weeks to 6 weeks. As well as a change in wearing time comparison between fitting A and fitting B.


Information By: Northwestern University

Dates:
Date Received: May 15, 2015
Date Started: July 2015
Date Completion: January 2018
Last Updated: March 27, 2017
Last Verified: March 2017