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Hearing Healthcare Assessment in Rural Communities

Hearing Healthcare Assessment in Rural Communities (HHARC)

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05786794
Acronym
HHARC
Enrollment
500
Registered
2023-03-28
Start date
2024-08-08
Completion date
2027-07-31
Last updated
2026-08-20

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Hearing Loss, Adult-Onset, Hearing Loss, Age-Related

Keywords

Patient Navigator, Adult Hearing Screening, Adult Hearing Loss

Brief summary

Adult hearing loss in is the third most common chronic health condition in the United States. Adults living in rural areas face a higher risk of experiencing hearing loss, and more difficulty receiving testing and treatment than adults in urban settings. The goal of this clinical trial is to develop and test a community-based hearing healthcare patient navigation program in rural Kentucky. The main question this study aims to answer is: -Can the number of rural adults receiving diagnostic hearing tests be increased?

Detailed description

Investigators will pilot test the rural hearing health care patient navigation program (N=500 patients from 10 rural clinics). The program will be evaluated with the following outcome: number of participants obtaining a diagnostic audiogram within past 12 months after enrollment among rural adults

Interventions

BEHAVIORALPatient Navigation Program for Hearing Health Care

Patients presenting for routine office visits will be invited to participate in the study and informed consent procedures and study enrollment will be conducted by a research assistant. Participants will then undergo baseline assessment. Following baseline measures, participants who screen positive for hearing loss will be contacted by the Patient Navigator (PN) to begin the intervention. The navigator will contact participants every 2 weeks to focus on addressing key aspects of Hearing Health Care (HHC): education, screening, diagnosis, and treatment. PNs will assist the patient to undergo a formal audiogram with the 12 months following enrollment. Each PN session will likely last between 10-30 minutes. Post-intervention data collection also administered by a trained interviewer, will occur following a diagnostic audiogram with an audiologist or at 12 months following enrollment.

Sponsors

Matthew Bush, MD
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
CollaboratorNIH
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

Approximately 500 patients from 10 rural clinics will be recruited to participate in the trial. All participants will complete baseline surveys and eligible candidates will engage with a Patient Navigator who will assist them in overcoming specific barriers to obtain a diagnostic audiogram with an audiologist.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Age 18 years or older * Able to speak, understand, and read English. * Patient of a participating primary care clinic

Exclusion criteria

-Under 18

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of Participants Receiving a Diagnostic Audiogram After EnrollmentFrom Enrollment to Study Completion at 12 MonthsParticipants will be assisted to reduce barriers in scheduling a diagnostic audiogram within 12 months following enrollment

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORMatthew L Bush, M.D.

University of Kentucky

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Aug 21, 2026