Evaluating an Audiology Text-Message Protocol to Support Hearing Aid Use in NHS Adult Audiology Patients

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Audiology text-message protocol: Florence is an interactive text messaging service, endorsed by NHS England, designed to improve clinical outcomes for patients. An audiology text-message protocol, delivered via Florence, will prepare, inform and support new NHS hearing aid users as they are prescribed, receive, and start to use their hearing aid(s).

Study summary

Over 18 million adults in the United Kingdom have significant hearing loss, linked to isolation, depression and comorbidities. Hearing aids are the main management option yet are frequently unused (\~23%) or used irregularly (\<40%), wasting NHS resources and reducing quality-of-life gains. Digital behaviour-change interventions can improve self-management between appointments. Florence, an NHS-endorsed text-messaging system, has been used in the management of other long-term conditions, but has not yet been applied within audiology. This study will test a standardised audiology text-message protocol, delivered via Florence, to support new NHS hearing aid users, aiming to improve adherence, outcomes, and cost-effectiveness. Outcomes assess trial feasibility (primary objective), proof-of concept for efficacy (secondary objective), and process evaluation (tertiary objective).

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Self-reported hearing aid use — From enrollment to week 16 and 28
  A bespoke single item question recording the self-reported average hours of daily hearing aid use over the past seven days. The question "On a typical day over the last seven days, how many hours did you use your hearing aid?" will be collected via participants' preferred contact method.
• Glasgow Hearing Aid Benefit Profile (GHABP): (Gatehouse 1999) — Week 1 (Part A) Week 16, 28 (Part B)
  The GHABP is a 24-item scale consisting of six subscales. The subscales address hearing aid initial disability, hearing aid handicap, reported hearing aid use, reported hearing aid benefit, hearing aid satisfaction and hearing aid derived benefit. Each domain is measured on a five-point scale, and the mean score across four predefined situations is converted into a percentage. Participants will only be asked to complete Part A (preintervention) of the GHABP questionnaire at the baseline assessment (pre-hearing aid fitting). Part B (residual) will be completed at the 16 and 28 week follow up (post-hearing aid fitting).

Trial sites (3)

Other trials for the same condition