Evaluation of Hearing Protection Fit Testing Program
Overview
- Phase
- N/A
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Hearing Loss
- Sponsor
- United States Air Force
- Enrollment
- 200
- Locations
- 2
- Primary Endpoint
- Degree of earplug fit for participants in the Air Force Hearing Conservation Program as a measure of education and personnal attenuation rating.
- Last Updated
- 12 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
The specific aim of this research is to evaluate the performance, effectiveness, and long-term training benefits of a formal hearing protection fit testing program. This study may provide preliminary evidence on the benefits of direct education/training combined with a formal hearing protection device (HPD) fit testing on HPD fittings on United States Air Force (USAF) employees. Currently, Public Health provides informal, subjective training to employees; this practice may be altered by the results of this study.
Investigators
Quintin Hecht
Hearing Conservation Program Manager, Doctor of Audiology
United States Air Force
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •Subjects must be enrolled in the hearing conservation program, and can be civilian or active duty/uniformed. Subjects must be currently using some form of in-the-ear hearing protection device on a regular basis and have ear canals free of cerumen, infection, or any other obstruction.
Exclusion Criteria
- •Not enrolled in the hearing conservation program. Not using in-the-ear hearing protection device on a regular basis. Ear canals containing cerumen, infection, or other obstructions.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Degree of earplug fit for participants in the Air Force Hearing Conservation Program as a measure of education and personnal attenuation rating.
Time Frame: 6 mos after intial subject visit
The experimental group will show an increase, larger than the control group, in the amount of personal attenuation rating measurement shown by the software program as a result of software intervention used before and after education at the initial and follow-up visits.