Clinical Research Directory

Barriers and Facilitators to OTC Hearing Aids Success

Hearing aids can improve hearing, communication, and overall quality of life for people with hearing loss. However, not many people use hearing aids. A common reason is that hearing aids are expensive and hard to get. The traditional way to get hearing aids involves multiple visits to licensed audiologists for identifying hearing loss, customizing the aids, and ongoing maintenance. This traditional method is called the AUD pathway. Over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids offer a different approach. They aim to make hearing aids more affordable and accessible, encouraging earlier use. In the OTC pathway, users diagnose their own hearing loss and fit and program the hearing aids themselves. Little is known about long-term effects of OTC hearing aids on users. This study aims to compare the experiences of people who choose the OTC pathway with those who choose the AUD pathway. It takes place in two locations: Iowa City, IA, and Nashville, TN. Participants, who have mild-to-moderate hearing loss, choose their preferred pathway and are followed for 12 months. In the OTC pathway, participants buy their hearing aids directly from OTC companies or retailers. In the AUD pathway, prescription hearing aids and fitting services are provided by audiology clinics at the University of Iowa and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Participants are contacted 1, 6, and 12 months after starting to use their hearing aids. Researchers measure their satisfaction about hearing aids and other outcomes. If participants stop using their hearing aids, researchers assess their engagement with post-amplification hearing care. The results from both pathways are then compared.

Improving Speech in Noise Perception for Individuals With Age-related Hearing Loss

Hearing loss, especially for speech perception in the presence of noise, may lead older individuals to withdraw from social situations. While hearing aids help amplify sound and are useful in many situations, they can be ineffective in noisy contexts. The proposed pilot study will evaluate taVNS for improving speech in noise perception in adults with age-related hearing loss.

Optimizing Elderly Hearing Loss Care in Hong Kong A Cost-Effectiveness and Satisfactory Analysis of a Pilot Collaborative Model Between Otorhinolaryngologists and Family Medicine Specialists

This study will evaluate a new collaborative elderly hearing-loss service in Hong Kong. The service is based in Family Medicine (FM) and supported by Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist nurses and audiology services. It aims to provide earlier hearing assessment, counselling, hearing-aid referral or fitting where appropriate, and referral to ENT specialists when more complex ear problems are suspected. The study will compare this new service with the existing ENT elderly hearing clinic. About 500 adults aged 65 years or above with progressive hearing loss will be enrolled. Researchers will compare the time to hearing assessment and hearing-related abilities and quality of life score, satisfactory score related to the care in the FM and ENT cohort, compliance to hearing aids, and referral to ENT services. The findings may help determine whether the new service is safe, cost-effective and improves access to hearing care.

Impact of Auditory Stimulation in Eating Pleasure (EDERE 2021)

Background. Decreased taste and smell contribute to loss of appetite (anorexia), and the resulting protein-energy malnutrition increases the frailty of the elderly. The risk of falls, disability, infections and depression often requires them to be institutionalized. Elderly, undernourished and toothless patients often complain about the monotony of a soft, mixed-texture diet. In a previous study, some participants highlighted the pleasure of crunching cookies that have a solid texture that can be eaten in any dental condition. However, the age-related decrease in hearing (presbyacusis) is frequent and progressive from the age of 60. The hypothesis of this work is that older patients may perceive a crunchy food crunching in their mouth, despite presbycusis. If the hypothesis is verified, this would make geriatric caregivers aware of the possibility of diversifying the texture of food, in order to stimulate the pleasure of eating and increase the dietary intake in this population of patients who are often undernourished, dysphagic, edentulous and hearing impaired. The originality of this study is to share the expertise of geriatricians and specialists in mastication/swallowing (dental surgeon, speech-language pathologist), hearing (ENT doctor, hearing care professional) and nutrition (dietician). Type of study. Type of study MR-004 "Research not involving the human person". Protocol. Compare the noise and pleasure of crunching between two hyperprotein nutritional supplements: a soft filled cookie (Nutra Cake™, Délical, France) and a crunchy cookie of the Breton type (Protibis™, Solidages, France). Blind study impossible: each subject will eat a cookie then the other in a random order and will be his own control. The tests will be performed without the possible hearing aids, but with or without the dentures according to the patient's preference. Indeed, some patients have dental prostheses that are no longer suitable for chewing, and that they wear only for aesthetics. Objective. Validate the evaluation criteria "Do you hear the biscuit crunch?" and "Is it a pleasure?" If so, encourage diversification with crunchy foods with a suitable texture, as well as dental and prosthetic rehabilitation of dependent elderly people.

Evaluation of the Impact of Cochlear Implants on Cognition in Older Adults

The subjects will be age 65 years and older, with no upper limit of age range with hearing loss that are candidates for standard-of-care cochlear implant. Cognitive tests will be administered preoperative, and postoperative at 6 and 12 month, and 5 year intervals.

Effects of Huperzine a on Presbycusis(Δ,kHz, DB,MMSE, AD)

To investigate the effects of huperzine A on tinnitus suppression, hearing and cognitive function protection in patients with presbycusis-related subjective tinnitus and cognitive impairment.

Hearing and Cognition in Aging Adults

This cohort study is expected to provide valuable insights into the complex interplay between auditory and cognitive functions and how they change over time. The results of this study will have important implications for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of age-related hearing and cognitive disorders