Hearing for Learning Initiative - a Health Facilitator Model for Otitis Media
- Conditions
- Otitis MediaConductive Hearing Loss
- Interventions
- Behavioral: facilitator
- Registration Number
- NCT03916029
- Lead Sponsor
- Menzies School of Health Research
- Brief Summary
The Hearing for Learning Initiative is a stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial. The HfLI will implement and rigorously evaluate an innovative community-based service-enhancement model of ear and hearing health, in partnership with participating communities and health and education services.
This initiative will address the following research question: In urban, rural and remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, does employment, training and integration of local Ear and Hearing Clinical and Education Support Officers into health and education services (the Hearing for Learning initiative), compared to current practice, increase the proportion of children who receive an ear assessment, reduce the prevalence of ear and hearing problems and improve education outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, during a four year trial period?
- Detailed Description
Background: Australian Indigenous children achieve lower scores in school readiness and education outcomes than their non-Indigenous peers. Chronic otitis media and hearing loss during early childhood are associated with lower scores for these outcomes. Local problem: Failure to meet child health program schedules and evidence based practice in ear and hearing health is linked to high turnover of the health workforce, inadequate clinical skills and poor knowledge of ear and hearing health needs of children.
This Hearing for Learning Initiative aims to improve health care and education services.
Interventions: The intervention involves training and employing non-professional community members to facilitate busy primary health care services to deliver evidence-based ear and hearing health assessments in children 0 to 16 years of age, and to facilitate the teaching and home learning of hearing impaired children (the intervention).
Trial design: A stepped-wedge community (n=18) cluster-randomised trial will compare the proportion of children receiving an ear assessment (primary outcomes) in the HfLI (intervention) periods with no HfLI (control) periods. Participating communities will be randomly assigned in 6-monthly steps to shift from control to intervention on pre-specified start dates.
Outcomes: the primary outcome is the change in the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who receive an ear assessment, between intervention and control periods.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 18
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, resident in participating community (cluster)
none
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Facilitator facilitator 120 hours training for local community members delivered on-country face-to-face during 6 4-day weeks and over a 3-6 month period. Certificate II modules in Aboriginal Primary Health Care, ear and hearing health skills development (otoscopy, tympanometry, and hearScreen) and employment as Ear Health Facilitators to the end of the trial.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Ear assessment 6-monthly Proportion of children who have had a documented ear assessment
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Prevalence of otitis media 6-monthly Proportion of children with any otitis media
Appropriate management plan 6-monthly Proportion of management plans that are appropriate
Management plan 6-monthly Proportion of otitis media cases with a management plan
Follow-up 6-monthly Proportion of cases with follow-up within 10 days
Trial Locations
- Locations (20)
Ampilatwatja
🇦🇺Ampilatwatja, Northern Territory, Australia
Palumpa Community Health Centre
🇦🇺Palumpa, Northern Territory, Australia
Darwin
🇦🇺Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Kalkarindji Primary Health Centre
🇦🇺Kalkarindji, Northern Territory, Australia
Nauiyu
🇦🇺Nauiyu, Northern Territory, Australia
Ali Curung
🇦🇺Ali Curung, Northern Territory, Australia
Galiwin'ku
🇦🇺Galiwin'ku, Northern Territory, Australia
Gunbalanya
🇦🇺Gunbalanya, Northern Territory, Australia
Wurli Wurlinjang Health Service
🇦🇺Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia
Lajamanu Primary Health Centre
🇦🇺Lajamanu, Northern Territory, Australia
Mala'la Health Service
🇦🇺Maningrida, Northern Territory, Australia
Milikapiti Community Health Centre
🇦🇺Milikapiti, Northern Territory, Australia
Milingimbi Health Clinic
🇦🇺Milingimbi, Northern Territory, Australia
Minjilang Community Health Centre
🇦🇺Minjilang, Northern Territory, Australia
Pirlangimpi Health Clinic
🇦🇺Pirlangimpi, Northern Territory, Australia
Ti Tree Community Health Centre
🇦🇺Ti Tree, Northern Territory, Australia
Warruwi Community Health Centre
🇦🇺Warruwi, Northern Territory, Australia
Wadeye Community Health Centre
🇦🇺Wadeye, Northern Territory, Australia
Julanimawu (Nguiu) Community Health centre
🇦🇺Wurrumiyanga, Northern Territory, Australia
Yirrkala Clinic
🇦🇺Yirrkala, Northern Territory, Australia