Outcomes of CROS aid fittings for children with unilateral deafness V1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Subjective and objective benefit of Contralateral Routing Of Signal (CROS) hearing instruments in children with longstanding unilateral deafness.
IRAS ID
238854
Contact name
Fiona Malcolm
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen Margaret University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 2 days
Research summary
The proposed study aims to determine whether Contralateral Routing of Signal (CROS) hearing aids benefit school-aged children aged 6-16 years who have normal hearing in one ear and significant hearing loss in their other ear, also known as unilateral deafness. These children are known to be at risk of educational, speech & language and behavioural issues.
Currently there are limited management options available for children with unilateral deafness and many do not receive any intervention for their hearing loss. Although CROS hearing aids are available in some audiology departments they are not routinely issued as there is a lack of published evidence to say whether they are an effective management for children. By creating an evidence base, more children with unilateral deafness may receive appropriate management.
This study will be conducted in the paediatric audiology department of one NHS trust that already issues CROS hearing aids. Participants will be children already on the department’s caseload, but who have not previously used this type of hearing aid. Children who meet the inclusion criteria will be invited to participate in the study.
Participants will attend 2 face-to-face sessions approximately 3 months apart. They will be provided with the CROS hearing aid at the first session and will be asked to use this as much as possible during waking hours over the next few months. Questionnaires and tests of how well the child hears speech in the presence of background noise will be conducted, before the device is issued and at the second face-to-face session with the hearing device being used, to determine if scores improve with the device. Participants will also be interviewed about their experience using the device.
REC name
London - Brent Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/0861
Date of REC Opinion
21 Jun 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion