Personalized Hearing Aid Settings for Hearing Loss

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Northwestern University

Disqualifiers: Cognitive impairment, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 1

Duration: 2 hours

30 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Customized Hearing Aid Settings for hearing loss?

Research shows that personalized hearing aid settings, tailored to individual hearing profiles, can improve user satisfaction and sound quality. Studies indicate that users who adjust their own hearing aid settings report better sound quality and satisfaction compared to those using standard settings chosen by clinicians. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is it safe to use personalized hearing aid settings for hearing loss?

The research does not provide specific safety data for personalized hearing aid settings, but it does not report any safety concerns related to self-adjustment or profile-based fitting of hearing aids. ^{1 6 7 8 9}

How does the treatment 'Personalized Hearing Aid Settings' differ from other treatments for hearing loss?

Personalized Hearing Aid Settings are unique because they tailor the hearing aid's settings to individual auditory profiles, which are based on a comprehensive test battery that identifies different hearing abilities. This approach aims to provide more targeted and effective hearing aid adjustments compared to traditional methods that typically rely on a standard gain prescription. ^{1 3 4 10 11}

What is the purpose of this trial?

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if hearing aid settings that are customized to individual listening strategies result in better speech understanding than non-customized hearing aid settings. The main question it aims to answer is: Do customized hearing aid settings result in better speech understanding? Researchers will compare hearing aid settings that match individual listening strategy to a general setting. Participants will: Wear hearing aids for a 2-hour visit to our laboratory. Listen to some sentences in noise and repeat the sentences they hear, with two different hearing aid settings Listen to some sentences in noise and rate how understandable they think those sentences are, with two different hearing aid settings

Research Team

Pamela Souza, PhD

Principal Investigator

Northwestern University

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for individuals with sensorineural hearing loss who are interested in testing whether customized hearing aid settings improve speech understanding. Participants must be willing to visit a lab, wear hearing aids, and perform listening tasks. Specific eligibility criteria were not provided.

Inclusion Criteria

I have hearing loss that is not due to earwax or an ear infection.

Exclusion Criteria

Montreal Cognitive Assessment < 23 points

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1-2 weeks

Treatment

Participants wear hearing aids and listen to sentences in noise with two different settings during a 2-hour lab visit

2 hours

1 visit (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for any feedback or additional assessments post-intervention

1-2 weeks

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Customized Hearing Aid Settings

Trial Overview The study tests if personalized hearing aid settings based on individual listening strategies provide better speech comprehension than standard settings based only on an audiogram. It involves comparing the effectiveness of these two approaches during a laboratory visit.

Participant Groups

Group I: Customized to match listening strategy First Active Control 2 Interventions

Participants in this arm will listen to hearing aid settings programmed to match their listening strategy first, then the general setting

Group II: Not customized to match listening strategy First Active Control 2 Interventions

Participants will listen to hearing aid settings based only on their pure-tone thresholds first (general hearing aid settings), then ones programmed to match their listening strategies.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Northwestern University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,674

Recruited

989,000+

Findings from Research

A study of 56 participants with mild sensorineural hearing loss showed that advanced digital technology (ADT) hearing aids significantly improved user satisfaction and outcomes, with users wearing them for an average of 10.5 hours per day.

Despite achieving good overall satisfaction and self-efficacy, users reported challenges with managing background noise and advanced device handling, highlighting the need for ongoing support from hearing health care providers.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Benefits from, Satisfaction with, and Self-Efficacy for Advanced Digital Hearing Aids in Users with Mild Sensorineural Hearing Loss. Johnson, CE., Jilla, AM., Danhauer, JL., et al.[2020]

A study analyzing adverse event reports for cochlear implants found that most incidents involved patient injury (16,736 cases) and device malfunction (10,760 cases), highlighting areas for potential safety improvements.

Using machine learning algorithms, researchers achieved high prediction accuracy (up to 88.6%) in identifying the cochlear implant manufacturer and type of adverse event based on the descriptions, suggesting that data analysis can enhance understanding of device performance and safety.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Machine learning for pattern detection in cochlear implant FDA adverse event reports. Crowson, MG., Hamour, A., Lin, V., et al.[2021]

References

1. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Towards Auditory Profile-Based Hearing-Aid Fitting: Fitting Rationale and Pilot Evaluation. [2021]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Validation of a Self-Fitting Method for Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids. [2020]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Investigating the Effects of Four Auditory Profiles on Speech Recognition, Overall Quality, and Noise Annoyance With Simulated Hearing-Aid Processing Strategies. [2020]

4. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Clinical trials with a programmable hearing aid set for various listening environments. [2022]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Benefits from, Satisfaction with, and Self-Efficacy for Advanced Digital Hearing Aids in Users with Mild Sensorineural Hearing Loss. [2020]

6. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Machine learning for pattern detection in cochlear implant FDA adverse event reports. [2021]

7. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluation of adjustment behaviour in a semi-supervised self-adjustment fine-tuning procedure for hearing aids. [2023]

8. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Self-Adjustment of Hearing Aid Amplification for Lower Speech Levels: Independent Ratings, Paired Comparisons, and Speech Recognition. [2022]

9. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Fit to targets, preferred listening levels, and self-reported outcomes for the DSL v5.0 a hearing aid prescription for adults. [2022]

10. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Audiologist-driven versus patient-driven fine tuning of hearing instruments. [2021]

11. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Client-based adjustments of hearing aid gain: the effect of different control configurations. [2022]