Hearing Aid Benefit in Real-World Noisy Environments

Evaluating the Impact of Hearing Aid Signal Enhancement Algorithms in Real-World Contexts

Researchers are doing this study to understand why hearing aids often work well in controlled laboratory settings but don't provide the same level of benefit in everyday noisy environments. The questions they hope to answer are:

• What factors contribute to hearing aid benefit in noisy environments
• What factors limit hearing aid benefit
• How do real-world factors interact with common hearing aid settings

Participants will complete:

• Hearing and listening tests
• Memory and attention assessment
• Surveys on their Smartphone

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Hearing Loss, Adult-Onset; Hearing Aid; Hearing Loss, Bilateral Sensorineural
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Hearing aid

Detailed Description

This is study investigates how hearing aid signal processing algorithms and environmental factors in listening situations interact to affect listening outcomes. A crossover design is used to assess speech perception, listening effort, and user satisfaction across diverse acoustic contexts.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 45
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Lucas Modahl; Email: lmodahl@wisc.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Wisconsin
    • Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53705
      • Recruiting
      • University of Wisconsin - Madison
      • Contact: Lucas Modahl; Email: lmodahl@wisc.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Erik Jorgensen, AuD, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Over 18 years old
• Symmetrical, bilateral, adult onset, sensorineural hearing loss
• Experienced hearing aid users (> 3 months)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Under 18 years old
• Conductive or mixed hearing loss
• Asymmetrical or unilateral hearing loss
• Pre-lingual or childhood hearing loss onset
• No hearing aid experience

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Hearing aid + smartphone surveys; Participants will use study-provided hearing aids	Device: Hearing aid; Participants will use study-provided hearing aids for 15 minutes, 7-10 times for a week.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid signal enhancement on speech perception	Participants will hear 3 different, 5 minute listening scenarios and answer the same survey questions for each. They will rate perception from 0% (understood nothing) to 100% (understood everything). Percentages will be compared across the 3 scenarios.	1 week
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid signal enhancement on listening effort	Participants will hear 3 different, 5 minute listening scenarios and answer the same survey questions for each. They will rate how hard they had to work to understand what was said from 0% (no effort) to 100% (extremely hard). Percentages will be compared across the 3 scenarios.	1 week
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid signal enhancement on listening comfort	Participants will hear 3 different, 5 minute listening scenarios and answer the same survey questions for each. They will rate how comfortable it was to listen from 0% (very comfortable) to 100% (very uncomfortable). Percentages will be compared across the 3 scenarios.	1 week
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid signal enhancement on sound quality	Participants will hear 3 different, 5 minute listening scenarios and answer the same survey questions for each. They will rate the sound quality from 0% (very poor) to 100% (excellent). Percentages will be compared across the 3 scenarios.	1 week
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid signal enhancement on sound location	Participants will hear 3 different, 5 minute listening scenarios and answer the same survey questions for each. They will rate how easy it was to tell where the sound was coming from, from 0% (could not tell) to 100% (very easy). Percentages will be compared across the 3 scenarios.	1 week
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid algorithms based on location	Participants will complete the same survey questions for all three algorithms. Participants will select which option best describes the environment they are in when completing the hearing survey.	1 week

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Erik Jorgensen, AuD, PhD, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 19, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 3, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 3, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): November 10, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 24, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 20, 2026
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases; Sensation Disorders; Ear Diseases; Hearing Disorders; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Hearing Loss; Equipment and Supplies; Electrical Equipment and Supplies; Wearable Electronic Devices; Sensory Aids; Hearing Aids
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2025-1586; FA (Other Identifier: UW Madison); UWMSN | L&S | Communication Sc (Other Identifier: UW Madison); Protocol Version 11/25/25 (Other Identifier: UW Madison)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No