Hearing Aid Research
Decision-Making Study
Thank you for your interest in our research! For this project we are studying how people decide what type of hearing aid to buy, and what their long-term experiences are with the hearing aids they choose. This is a joint project between the University of Iowa and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Eligibility
You are eligible to participate in the study if you are
-an adult aged 18-89
-proficient in English
-have a perceived mild to moderate hearing loss
-have not used hearing aids before
-are actively planning to purchase hearing aids within the next 6 months.
Types of Hearing Aids
Generally speaking, there are two types of hearing aids available in the US—prescription hearing aids and over the counter (OTC) hearing aids. Prescription aids are those selected and fit with the help of a hearing healthcare professional. OTC hearing aids can be purchased directly and fit independently by the consumer.
If you choose to buy prescription hearing aids, you may obtain them from any provider you choose. But, purchasing hearing aids through the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Clinic (WJSHC) at the University of Iowa or Vanderbilt University Medical Center is preferred because the services at these clinics are known to the research team.
If you choose to buy OTC hearing aids you can purchase them from many different retail and online stores.
Study Requirements
This project is funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, which is a branch of the National Institutes of Health. The research team will not benefit financially from the type of hearing aids you choose. So that we do not influence your decision, research team members will not supply you with information regarding the different ways of getting hearing aids, answer specific hearing/hearing aid related questions, or give recommendations. It will be your responsibility to research OTC and prescription hearing aids or to contact retailers and clinics for more information on the pricing and process.
As reimbursement for the cost of hearing aids might influence the devices you would choose, compensation is limited to the time you spend completing the research tasks (i.e. questionnaires , in-person lab visit). Compensation is $15 per hour. Milage is reimbursed at $0.20 per mile up to 100 miles round-trip. There is no reimbursement for the cost of hearing devices.
Once you have decided which type of hearing aids to buy (OTC or prescription), we will ask you how you came to that decision by having you fill out some questionnaires and taking part in an optional interview. About 1 month after you begin to wear your new hearing aids, you will be required to attend one in-person research session at the Bill Wilkerson Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center or Wendell Johnosn Speech and Hearing Center at the University of Iowa, depending on which center is closer to where you live. At that visit your hearing will be tested, measurements of your hearing aids will be taken, you will fill out some questionnaires and complete some other tests. We will contact you again to complete questionnaires after you have been wearing your devices for 6 months and 12 months during the coming year to find out how the hearing aids are working for you.
More detailed information can be found in the University of Iowa and Vanderbilt University Medical Center consent forms. The forms may be downloaded by clicking on the name of the university in the previous sentence.
We will be enrolling participants into this study through May of 2028.
For more information or to schedule a research session contact Elizabeth at ui-vu-hear@uiowa.edu or call (319) 335-2631.