Effectiveness of the HEAR-aware smartphone app for hearing-impaired adults aged 50+ years who are not ready for a hearing aid
- Conditions
- Readiness to take action on hearing lossEar, Nose and ThroatHearing loss, unspecified
- Registration Number
- ISRCTN93742150
- Lead Sponsor
- VU University Medical Center
- Brief Summary
2020 Protocol article in https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32946257/ (added 30/04/2021) 2023 Other publications in https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37677943/ Feasibility of the HEAR-aware App sub study (added 30/01/2024) 2024 Results article in https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38831480/ (added 24/07/2024)
- Detailed Description
Not available
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- Completed
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 87
1. Age 50 years or older
2. Minimum pure tone threshold of 35 dB HL (hearing level) averaged across 1, 2, and 4 kHz in at least one ear
3. Visited a hearing aid dispensing practice for a hearing test appointment or a subsequent intake appointment in the past 1.5 years, but decided to not pursue a hearing aid trajectory
4. Does not (yet) want a hearing aid
5. Never tried a hearing aid before
6. Owns an email account, smartphone (iPhone iOS 10 and higher, i.e. iPhone 5 or newer; Android 4.4 or higher, i.e., phone bought in 2015 or newer), and uses apps
7. Is fluent in Dutch
8. Is willing to use the app regularly (on a daily basis)
1. Main complaint is tinnitus (and not hearing impairment). The HEAR-aware app does not have tinnitus coping as its main focus
2. Patient is referred to and enrolled in care through a multidisciplinary audiological center. The app has overlapping content with care provided in such a center
Study & Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Study Design
- Not specified
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Readiness to take action is measured using the Stages of Change measurement The Line, a discrete 11-point scale ranging from 0 (not ready at all) to 10 (highly ready) at baseline (T0), immediately after 4 weeks of app use (T1) and 4 weeks later (T2). The Line is generic in nature and does not specify what ‘taking action on hearing’ is. As the HEAR-aware app targets various target behaviors (e.g., communication strategies use, taking up hearing aids), Stages of Change will be measured both generically and specifically for these target behaviors.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method 1. Self-reported hearing disability measured using the Amsterdam Inventory for Auditory Disability and Handicap at T0, T1 and T2<br>2. Coping measured using the Communication Profile for the Hearing Impaired (CPHI) at T0, T1 and T2<br>3. Prior hearing help-seeking steps taken measured by asking whether or not participants have ever taken help-seeking steps (yes/no) (e.g. having visited a HAD/general practitioner/Ear Nose, and Throat doctor for a hearing test, performed a screening self-test) at T0, T1 and T2<br>4. Health-related quality of life measured using the EQ5D at T0, T1 and T2<br>5. Attitudes on hearing loss and hearing aids measured using the Attitude Questionnaire at T0, T1 and T2<br>6. Self-efficacy of hearing help-seeking measured using the Self-Efficacy of Hearing Help-Seeking Scale (SEHHS) at T0, T1 and T2