Hearing AidNCT07226167
Hearing Aid Benefit in Real-World Noisy Environments
A study testing Hearing aid in people with Hearing Aid and Hearing Loss, Bilateral Sensorineural, run by University of Wisconsin, Madison at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
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. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Hearing Aid, Hearing Loss, Bilateral Sensorineural, Hearing Loss, Adult-Onset
- What is being tested?
- Hearing aid
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 45 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 19 Feb 2026to Jan 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Over 18 years old
- Symmetrical, bilateral, adult onset, sensorineural hearing loss
- Experienced hearing aid users (> 3 months)
Who cannot join
- 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
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Lucas Modahl contact
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, Wisconsin, 53705
Lucas Modahl, lmodahl@wisc.edu
Erik Jorgensen, AuD, PhD
About this study
Official title: 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
Read the 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.
- Being tested
- Hearing aid
- Medical subject headings
- Hearing Loss
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Hearing aidDevice
Participants will use study-provided hearing aids for 15 minutes, 7-10 times for a week.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Hearing aid + smartphone surveys | Experimental | Participants will use study-provided hearing aids Receives: Device: Hearing aid |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
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.
Measured: 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.
Measured: 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.
Measured: 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.
Measured: 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.
Measured: 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.
Measured: 1 week
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Nov 2025
- Study start19 Feb 2026
- Primary completionJan 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionJan 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Hearing AidStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of Wisconsin, MadisonThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 45 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Erik Jorgensen, AuD, PhD, Principal investigator, University of Wisconsin, Madison
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07226167
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2025-1586
- Other IDs
- FA, UWMSN | L&S | Communication Sc, Protocol Version 11/25/25
- Status last verified
- Dec 2025
- First submitted
- 3 Nov 2025
- Last updated
- 24 Feb 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 24 Feb 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Evaluating the Impact of Hearing Aid Signal Enhancement Algorithms in Real-World Contexts
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07226167
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2025-1586
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 45 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of Wisconsin, MadisonUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 19 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Jan 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Jan 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 10 Nov 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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
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 design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Hearing aid + smartphone surveys | Experimental | Device: Hearing aidParticipants will use study-provided hearing aids |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Over 18 years old
- Symmetrical, bilateral, adult onset, sensorineural hearing loss
- Experienced hearing aid users (> 3 months)
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- 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
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Hearing aidParticipants will use study-provided hearing aids for 15 minutes, 7-10 times for a week. | Device | Hearing aid + smartphone surveys |
Primary outcome
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid signal enhancement on speech perception
Time frame: 1 week
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.
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid signal enhancement on listening effort
Time frame: 1 week
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.
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid signal enhancement on listening comfort
Time frame: 1 week
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.
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid signal enhancement on sound quality
Time frame: 1 week
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.
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid signal enhancement on sound location
Time frame: 1 week
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.
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid algorithms based on location
Time frame: 1 week
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.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 24 Feb 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes
Related trials for Hearing Aid
Not yet recruiting
Hearing Intervention Effects on Brain and Language Development in Children With Bilateral Mild Hearing Loss
Hearing Loss, Bilateral
RecruitingObservational study
Audiological Rehabilitation of Children With Unilateral Hearing Loss
Unilateral Hearing Loss
Active, not recruiting
Performance of a Remote Microphone Compared to Hearing Aids Alone
Hearing Loss, Bilateral Sensorineural
Not yet recruitingObservational study
New Hearing Aid Users and Their Social Participation
Hearing Loss, Hearing Aids
Recruiting
Barriers and Facilitators to OTC Hearing Aids Success
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural, Presbycusis
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Lucas Modahl contact
Erik Jorgensen, AuD, PhD principal investigator
University of Wisconsin, Madison
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Hearing aid in people with Hearing Aid and Hearing Loss, Bilateral Sensorineural, run by University of Wisconsin, Madison at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 Feb 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Lucas Modahl (lmodahl@wisc.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Compare effectiveness of hearing aid signal enhancement on speech perception (time frame: 1 week). The study lists 6 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 24 Feb 2026.