Testing a Hearing Health Patient Navigation Program for Adults in Rural Kentucky to Increase Diagnostic Hearing Tests

What this Trial Is About

Adult hearing loss is one of the most common chronic health conditions in the United States, especially affecting adults living in rural areas who face greater challenges in accessing testing and treatment. This clinical trial aims to develop and evaluate a community-based hearing healthcare patient navigation program specifically for rural adults in Kentucky. The main goal is to see if this program can increase the number of rural adults who receive diagnostic hearing tests. The study will pilot test the Patient Navigation Program with 500 adults from 10 rural primary care clinics. Participants presenting for routine visits will be invited to join, and those who screen positive for hearing loss will be contacted by a Patient Navigator. The navigator will provide support every two weeks, helping with education, screening, diagnosis, and treatment over 12 months. Each session will last about 10 to 30 minutes. Participants will undergo baseline assessments and post-intervention data collection either after completing a diagnostic audiogram or at 12 months following enrollment. Researchers will measure the number of participants who obtain a diagnostic audiogram within 12 months of joining the study. The study is designed to support hearing healthcare access and monitor participant progress over the one-year period.

Hearing Healthcare Assessment in Rural Communities