Effectiveness of a Smart Hearing Aid on Improving Psychosocial Well-being in Elderly

Summary

The study has 2 primary research questions, 4 secondary research questions, and 2 auxiliary research questions targeting elderly with hearing impairment. The research questions are:

Primary study questions:

1. Can the use of the smart hearing aids reduce loneliness at the end of intervention?
2. Can the use of the smart hearing aids improve quality of life at the end of intervention?

Secondary study questions:
3. Can the use of the smart hearing aids improve the communication quality between caregivers and participants at the end of intervention?
4. How is the satisfaction of the participants with the smart hearing aids?
5. What are the factors leading to the use and non-use of the smart hearing aids?
6. What is the usage time of the smart hearing aids?

Auxiliary study questions:
7. How is the caregiver burden when facilitating the participants to use the smart hearing aids?
8. What are the perceived benefits and acceptability of the smart hearing aids?

Conditions

• Technology

Interventions

DEVICE

Experimental group intervention

The caregivers will calibrate the smart hearing aids for the participants in the experimental group at the first day of week 1 through the designated mobile application. Caregivers will help the participants to choose the amplification level which best suits their needs. Participants in the experimental group can use the smart hearing aids whenever they want during the trial period (i.e. from week 1 to week 6). For participants living in residential setting, caregivers will facilitate them to use the smart hearing aids upon request from the participants or when the caregivers deem the aids beneficial. For participants living in community setting, they will use the smart hearing aids when needed. Their caregivers shall provide assistance in facilitating the participants to use the smart hearing aids. The smart hearing aids do not require any payment from the study participants. They have to return the hearing aids after the study.

DEVICE

Wait-list control group intervention

The caregivers will calibrate the smart hearing aids for the participants in the wait-list control group at week 8 through the designated mobile application. Caregivers will help the participants to choose the amplification level which best suits their needs. Participants in the wait-list control group will continue the current practice (i.e. using conventional hearing aids or no hearing aids) from week 1 to week 8, and will use the smart hearing aids from week 8 to week 14. Caregivers will facilitate the participants to use the smart hearing aids.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Haven of Hope Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund, Hong Kong

  collaborator OTHER

• Hong Kong Young Women's Christian Association

  collaborator OTHER

• The University of Hong Kong

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Yee Tak Cheung · The University of Hong Kong

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-03-07

Primary Completion

2023-09-12

Completion

2023-09-12

Countries

• Hong Kong

Study Locations