An Innovative Person-Centered Hearing Aid Education and Aural Rehab System

摘要 NIDCD和NIA大力鼓励研究，使人们能够获得和负担得起的听力健康 在临床环境中通过新的交付系统“改善护理和改善结果”。这是一个特别重要的 对于快速增长的65岁以上人口来说，这是一个问题。老年人更容易使用不理想的助听器， 由于他们特殊的学习需要而受到照顾，再加上听力科医生没有足够的时间 以及助听器制造商的说明书明显不足。我们有 假设有效的助听器教育/培训强化和通过新的、 个性化、易于使用的技术将确保更成功的结果。 在第一阶段，为响应这一公共卫生需求，开发了医疗保健技术和方法(HTM 并对我们命名为TELLYHealthTM的新型原型产品进行了中试。这种创新、个性化、耐心的- Centrate产品吸引了患有听力损失的老年患者，并将他们与他们的听力专家联系起来。这个 6周的中试试验证明了TELLYHealthTM的可行性。在5分的利克特量表上，受试者被评级 TELLYHealth的易用性为4.75，助听器满意度为4.42。简略的听力侧写 援助福利(APHAB)和老年人听力残疾指数(HHIE)显示， 分别提高了助听器的益处和减少了听力障碍。 在第二阶段，HTM将原型转换为更具成本效益和可扩展性的基于应用程序的TELLYHealthTM 提供患者所要求的附加功能和教育内容的系统以及 HTM第一阶段的听力学家还在两个听力学实践中进行了随机对照试验(RCT) 这产生了同样令人鼓舞的可用性数据，以及功效数据和有价值的质量反馈。 在这笔CRP拨款中，HTM建议利用营销、知识产权、融资和软件技术 支持纳入从第二阶段吸取的经验教训(听力学专家及其病人的反馈)和 为产品的成功商业化做好准备。我们的目标是与一口井建立战略联盟- 老牌医疗保健公司，将包括融资。

ABSTRACT The NIDCD and NIA have strongly encouraged research leading to “accessible and affordable hearing health care and improved outcomes” through new delivery systems in clinical settings. This is an especially significant problem for the rapidly growing 65+ population. Older adults are more prone to suboptimal hearing aid use and care because of their special learning needs, combined with insufficient time available for audiologists’ “after care” and the demonstrated inadequacy of hearing aid manufacturers’ instruction manuals. We have hypothesized that effective hearing aid education/training reinforcement and follow-up care via new, personalized, easy-to-use technology will ensure more successful outcomes. In Phase I, in response to this public health need, Healthcare Technologies and Methods (HTM) developed and pilot-tested a novel prototype product we named TELLYHealthTM. This innovative, personalized, patient- centered product engaged older patients with hearing loss and “connected them” with their audiologist. The 6-week pilot tests demonstrated the feasibility of TELLYHealthTM. On a 5-point Likert scale, subjects rated TELLYHealth‘s ease of use 4.75 and their hearing aid satisfaction 4.42. The Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) and the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE) revealed a significantly improved hearing aid benefit and a reduced hearing handicap, respectively. In Phase II, HTM converted the prototype into a more cost-effective and scalable app-based TELLYHealthTM system that provided the additional functionality and educational content requested by patients and audiologists in Phase I. HTM also conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) at two audiology practices that generated equally encouraging usability data along with efficacy data and valuable qualitative feedback. In this CRP grant, HTM proposes to leverage marketing, intellectual property, financing and software technical support to incorporate lessons learned from Phase II (feedback from audiologists and their patients) and to prepare the product for successful commercialization. Our goal is to form a strategic alliance with a well- established healthcare company that will include financing.