COMBI1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluating digital combination hearing aid device programmes for tinnitus
IRAS ID
133455
Contact name
Magdalena Sereda
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Research summary
Chronic subjective tinnitus is a common condition, affecting about one in 10 of the population. Prevalence rates rise to about one in four in the over 50s because tinnitus is frequently associated with hearing loss.
Sound therapy is the primary and preferred mode of audiological management for tinnitus and refers to a wearable sound generator or hearing aid. It is reported to make tinnitus less noticeable, promote control or habituation, provide a distraction of attention, or promote plastic change in the central auditory system.
New technology in the form of open fit and digital hearing aids has allowed the prescription of hearing aids for much milder hearing losses than previously however, the traditional sound generators and hearing aids cannot be worn at the same time. Combination instruments provide a further option for those with an aidable hearing loss, as they combine amplification with sound generation option. Combination devices are used when a patient needs amplification for a hearing loss, but, also needs additional sound to reduce the perception of the tinnitus.
One of the essential issues to be addressed is acceptability of the sound and the fact that given the variability of tinnitus perception in different people the generated noise should be adjusted to the individual preferences of the user to provide maximum benefit for tinnitus.
The proposed feasibility study will evaluate the usability and relief from tinnitus provided by the different programmes that are available within a digital combination device. Five experienced digital combination device users will wear the intervention device for two weeks and provide feedback on its use and their views about how it compares to their existing solution.
The study will inform larger scale study assessing the benefit of the digital combination device for tinnitus.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/EM/0269
Date of REC Opinion
22 Jul 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion