Hearing Healthcare Assessment in Rural Communities (HHARC)

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?

Description

Eligibility

Age range

18+ years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Interventions

• Behavioral
  Patient 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.

Locations (9)