About this study

Comparing remote and in-clinic hearing aid fittings

Researcher: Craig Lett, Department of Audiology, School of Population Health, University of Auckland

Supervisors: Dr David Welch and Dr Rosie Dobson, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland

What is this study about?

This study is looking at similarities and differences between two ways of setting up hearing aids: an ‘in-clinic’ method, where hearing aids are programmed at a hearing clinic, and an ‘internet’ method, where hearing aids are programmed remotely using video and an app.

Why are we doing this study?

Using the internet in healthcare became much more common during Covid-19 lockdowns. To use these methods in hearing healthcare, we need to understand what differences and similarities there are between different ways of providing services.

What will participation in this study involve?

There are three parts to this study, and you would be involved in all three. This will take approximately 12 weeks from start to finish. You will have three hearing clinic appointments of up to 1 hour each, 1 home appointment of up to 1 hour and 2 home appointments of up to 30 minutes.

Part 1 will take 2 weeks. It involves a one-hour appointment at a hearing clinic at the start of the two weeks, and then a one hour appointment from your home at the end of the two weeks.

At the hearing clinic appointment, you will have a pair of hearing aids customised to fit to your ears and then programmed by an audiologist to match your hearing levels and communication needs. The audiologist will measure the sound output of the hearing aids using standard New Zealand clinical guidelines and you will have the chance to have the hearing aid sound adjusted to your preferences. The hearing aids will stay at the clinic.

At the internet appointment, you will have a pair of hearing aids couriered to your home address. You will then have a video appointment with an audiologist, who will connect to the hearing aids through the internet and will adjust the hearing aid sound to meet your hearing levels and communication needs. You will have the chance to have the hearing aid sound adjusted to your preferences. You will then courier the hearing aids back.

Part 2 will start two weeks after the end of part 1. It will take 4 weeks.

You will be couriered a pair of hearing aids to try out. They will be programmed to either the hearing clinic appointment settings, or the internet appointment settings. Neither you nor the audiologist will know which settings you are trying out.

You will need to wear the hearing aids for two weeks, and will then have a video appointment with an audiologist. This will be another chance to have the hearing aid sound adjusted to your preferences. After this appointment, you will need to wear the hearing aids for another two weeks.

At the end of part 2, you will have another one hour appointment at a hearing clinic. The audiologist will measure the sound output of the hearing aids using standard New Zealand clinical guidelines. You will also:

Do a short test (about 5 minutes) to see how well you can understand speech when there is competing noise.
Complete 2 questionnaires (one with 25 questions, one with 24 questions) to help us understand your experience with the hearing aids
Give a rating of your overall experience with the hearing aids.

Part 3 will start two weeks after the end of part 2. It will take another 4 weeks.

For part 3, we repeat everything that happened in part 2, except with the other hearing aid settings. Again, neither you nor the audiologist will know which settings you are trying out.

At the end of part 3, the hearing aids are returned to the hearing clinic. If you are interested in purchasing your own set of them, we can then give you a list of nearby clinics.

What are the risks and benefits of participating in the study?

You will be wearing a pair of hearing aids for a total of 8 weeks that are different from the hearing aids you are currently using. The audiologist will set the sound levels according to New Zealand’s best practice guidelines for audiology, but you may find the sound is different to what you are familiar with.

Where will the study take place?

Hearing clinic appointments will take place at either Building 507 of the University of Auckland Grafton Campus (22-30 Park Ave, Grafton, Auckland) or at private audiology clinics in Auckland. Each clinical appointment will take up to one hour.

For home appointments, the audiologist will be in a hearing clinic and you will need to be in a quiet room. The internet appointment in part 1 will take up to one hour and the internet appointments for parts 2 and 3 will take up to 30 minutes.

What are my rights as a participant?

Being involved in this study is entirely voluntary. If at any point and for any reason you choose to stop participating you have the right to withdraw yourself and any information you have provided during the study, right up until the end of part 3.

Whether you choose to take part in the study or not, your hearing care with your audiologist will continue as normal.

With your consent, data will be stored confidentially in digital form on a password-protected computer and will be kept indefinitely for research purposes. Results and information will be anonymised so that you cannot be identified. The findings will form part of a doctoral thesis and are expected to be used in scientific literature and/or presentations.

What happens after the study ends?

Once the study is completed and the results analysed, you will have the chance to view a summary report. As with all publications of the work, this will be a summary of the findings and no individuals will be identified. If you would like to see this summary report, please circle ‘yes’ on the consent form.

We would like to thank you for your time and participation. After completing the study, you will have the option to enter your contact details (name, email and address) for a chance to win an iPad. The contact details collected for this draw will be separate from your study data and not linked.

Contact Details

We appreciate the time you have taken to read this information. If you have any questions, please contact:

Craig Lett
PhD student, Department of Audiology
The University of Auckland
Email: craig.lett@auckland.ac.nz

Alternative Contacts:

Dr David Welch, Department of Audiology
The University of Auckland
Email: d.welch@auckland.ac.nz

Dr Rosie Dobson, School of Population Health
The University of Auckland
Email: r.dobson@auckland.ac.nz

For any queries regarding ethical concerns, contact the Chair, Health and Disability Ethics Committees, PO Box 5013, Wellington 6140. Telephone 0800 4 38442 (0800 4 Ethic). Email: hdecs@health.govt.nz

APPROVED BY THE NZ SOUTHERN HEALTH AND DISABILITIES ETHICS COMMITTEE ON 12 MAY 2023. REFERENCE NUMBER 2023 EXP 14058