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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04723173

Quality Control of CE-Certified Phonak Hearing Aids - 2020_43

Phonak Hearing Systems pass through different development and study stages. At an early stage, feasibility studies are conducted to investigate new algorithms, features and functions in an isolated manner. If the benefit is proven, their performance is then investigated regarding interdependency between all available algorithms, features and functions running in parallel in a hearing aid (pivotal/pre-validation studies) and, as a result, they get optimized. Afterwards, and prior to product launch, the Phonak Hearing Systems undergo a final quality control in terms of clinical trials. This is a pre-validation study, investigating optimized algorithms, features, functions and wearing comfort. This will be a clinical investigation which will be conducted mono centric at Sonova AG Headquarters based in Stäfa (Switzerland).

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Key information

Conditions

Hearing Loss Ear Diseases Hearing Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Sensation Disorders Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year–99 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Sonova AG

Stäfa, Canton of Zurich, 8712, Switzerland

About this study

The study will compare different features of the Phonak behind the ear device activated and deactivated, for example the noise reduction feature. There shall be differences in listening effort, awareness and sound quality shown. The study shall show the advantages especially for people with severe to profound hearing losses. This will be a clinical investigation which will be conducted mono centric at Sonova AG Headquarters based in Stäfa (Switzerland).

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Adult hearing impaired persons (minimum age: 18 years, severe to profound Hearing loss)
  • Good written and spoken (Swiss) German language skills
  • Healthy outer ear
  • Ability to fill in a questionnaire (p/eCRF) conscientiously
  • willingness to wear Behind-the-ear hearing aids
  • Informed Consent as documented by signature

Exclusion criteria

  • Contraindications to the MD in this study, e.g. known hypersensitivity or allergy to the investigational product
  • Limited mobility and not in the position to attend weekly appointments in Stäfa (Switzerland)
  • Limited ability to describe listening impressions/experiences and the use of the hearing aid
  • Inability to produce a reliable hearing test result
  • Known psychological problems

Treatment and study plan

Feature for noise reduction (on)

Device

The noise reduction feature shall support the hearing aid user in noisy situations and shall reduce the listening effort.

Feature for noise reduction (off)

Device

To show the advantage of the noise reduction feature there is a comparison without the feature necessary.

Primary outcomes

  1. Subjective Listening Effort Scaling

    Time frame: 2 weeks

    A listening effort scaling procedure ('ACALES'; Krueger et al, 2017) was performed with noise cancellation on and off.

    ACALES is adaptive, altering the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at which speech is presented. Therefore it is not a simple rating scale.

    For each stimulus, a rating (14-point scale ranging from 1='effortless' to 14= 'only noise') was given for how "effortful" it was following speech.

    This results in 2-D data: a list of presentation SNRs (different for each participant), and respective participant ratings.

    Given the format of this data, it cannot be summarized using standard descriptive statistics.

    We defined SNR as the dependent variable and fitted a linear mixed effects model, with the predictors: listening effort rating & intervention (treating participants as a random factor), characterizing SNR over the entire rating scale.

    The values reported represent the estimated marginal means of SNR for each intervention, averaged across effort ratings & participants.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Subjective Ratings of Speech and Music Samples (Part1: Sound Quality)

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    The secondary Outcome measure of this study contains 2 parts. This first part reported here was the evaluation of the sound quality. A comparison was made between speech and music audio excerpts either with or without gain being increased by the feedback manager.

    Subjective ratings of sound quality were made under both of these conditions for one speech and one music sample, using the following scale: Bad (1) - Poor (2) - Fair (3) - Good (4) - Excellent (5).

    Results were analyzed separately for the speech and music samples.

  2. Measure of Detection Threshold (in dB) for Soft Sounds

    Time frame: 2 weeks

    This outcome measure evaluated the ability to detect sounds in a quiet environment.

    A comparison was made between the feature under investigation being activated and deactivated.

    Participants were asked to change the level of a speech sample until they were just able to detect it.

    The ability will be measured by a detection threshold (in dB).

  3. Subjective Ratings of Speech and Music Samples (Part 2: Artefact Perception)

    Time frame: 2 week

    The second part of this secondary Outcome measure was the evaluation of audible artefacts either with or without the available gain being increased by the feedback manager.

    The outcome was measured as a binary response (artefacts audible/ not audible). Participants had to indicate whether artefacts were audible under both of these conditions.

    The number of positive ratings (artefacts were audible) was counted.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Sonova AG

Industry

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2021
Study completion
2021
First posted
Jan 25, 2021
Registry last updated
Mar 11, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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