Ida telecare version 1.0

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Feasibility and effectiveness of Ida Telecare tools for NHS Audiology patients

  • IRAS ID

    232078

  • Contact name

    Helen Henshaw

  • Contact email

    helen.henshaw@nottingham.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Research & Innovation

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    1 years, 0 months, 0 days

  • Research summary

    There are 11 million people in the UK with long-term hearing loss. The standard treatment is to provide hearing aids to amplify quiet sounds. However, only 1 in 3 people who could benefit from hearing aids own them. For those who do get hearing aids, up to 40% of people do not use them.

    The Ida Institute has developed a range of easy-to-use online tools designed to help people with hearing loss prepare for audiology appointments, make important decisions related to their hearing healthcare, and successfully manage everyday communication. Thinking about these things ahead of time can help patients feel better prepared when deciding with the clinician how best to manage their hearing loss. Patients who make choices that are right for them (such as obtaining a hearing aid, or not), are more likely to live well with their hearing loss.

    In this study we will assess how adults attending an NHS audiology clinic use the Ida telecare tools and when (feasibility) and how effective the 'Why Improve My Hearing?' tool is at improving their outcomes (effectiveness).

    Feasibility
    We will look at how often the tools are used by patients. We will also identify what the ‘active ingredients’ of the tools are to change health behaviour, and anything that helps or hinders patients’ use of the tools.

    Effectiveness
    We are interested to see if patients who complete the 'Why Improve My Hearing?' Tool before they visit the audiology clinic have better outcomes compared to people who do not. We will also have in-depth discussions with patients and audiologists about what they think of the Tool.

    Results of this study will provide important information about how the tools might be incorporated into NHS adult audiology services, early evidence for their effectiveness, and important information about how best to identify benefits to patients in future research.

  • REC name

    South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    17/SC/0461

  • Date of REC Opinion

    26 Sep 2017

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion