Hearing Loss, SensorineuralNCT06962540
Understanding Individual Listening Strategies
A study testing Hearing aid with settings customized to match their individual listening strategy and Hearing Aid with settings based on audiogram alone in people with Hearing Loss, Sensorineural, run by Northwestern University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if hearing aid settings that are customized to individual listening strategies result in better speech understanding than non-customized hearing aid settings. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 90 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Hearing Loss, Sensorineural
- What is being tested?
- Hearing aid with settings customized to match their individual listening strategy and Hearing Aid with settings based on audiogram alone
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 30 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 18 Apr 2025to Jul 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 to 90 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Sensorineural hearing loss
Who cannot join
- Montreal Cognitive Assessment < 23 points
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if hearing aid settings that are customized to individual listening strategies result in better speech understanding than non-customized hearing aid settings. The main question it aims to answer is:
Do customized hearing aid settings result in better speech understanding?
Read more
Researchers will compare hearing aid settings that match individual listening strategy to a general setting.
Participants will:
Wear hearing aids for a 2-hour visit to our laboratory. Listen to some sentences in noise and repeat the sentences they hear, with two different hearing aid settings Listen to some sentences in noise and rate how understandable they think those sentences are, with two different hearing aid settings
Read the detailed description
Participants will complete standard clinical hearing evaluations and a listening profile test to evaluate their individual listening strategy. Hearing aids will then be programmed either based on their clinical hearing evaluations alone using typical hearing aid settings or based on their hearing test with settings further adjusted to account for their individual listening strategies.
- Conditions
- Hearing Loss, Sensorineural
- Being tested
- Hearing aid with settings customized to match their individual listening strategy, Hearing Aid with settings based on audiogram alone
- Keywords
- Speech Recognition, Hearing Aids
- Medical subject headings
- Hearing Loss, Sensorineural
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Hearing aid with settings customized to match their individual listening strategyDevice
Also called Customized Hearing Aid Settings
Behind-the-ear hearing aids that have been programmed based on the participant's individual listening strategy and hearing loss.
Hearing Aid with settings based on audiogram aloneDevice
Also called General Hearing Aid Settings
Behind-the-ear hearing aids that have been programmed based on their hearing loss and typical clinical settings.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Customized to match listening strategy First | Active comparator | Participants in this arm will listen to hearing aid settings programmed to match their listening strategy first, then the general setting Receives: Device: Hearing aid with settings customized to match their individual listening strategy; Device: Hearing Aid with settings based on audiogram alone |
| Not customized to match listening strategy First | Active comparator | Participants will listen to hearing aid settings based only on their pure-tone thresholds first (general hearing aid settings), then ones programmed to match their listening strategies. Receives: Device: Hearing aid with settings customized to match their individual listening strategy; Device: Hearing Aid with settings based on audiogram alone |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Speech recognition
Participants listen to and repeat sentences, they are scored based on the % correct of keywords they accurately repeat.
Measured: Outcome measure is collected during the intervention, a two hour visit to the lab where they are wearing the hearing aids
Secondary outcomes (1)
Speech Spatial Quality
Rate perceived intelligibility and quality on a scale of 0 to 10 with 10 generally being better
Measured: Outcome measure is collected during the intervention, a two hour visit to the lab where they are wearing the hearing aids
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted8 May 2025
- Study start18 Apr 2025
- Primary completionJul 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionJul 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Hearing Loss, SensorineuralStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Northwestern UniversityThe 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
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Model description
- Participants will listen to hearing aids programmed specifically for their listening strategies or to ones programmed with typical clinical settings first, then switch strategies.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Northwestern University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Pamela Souza, Northwestern University
- Investigators
- Pamela Souza, PhD, Principal investigator, Northwestern University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06962540
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STU00221736
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 2 Dec 2024
- Last updated
- 4 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 4 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Understanding Individual Listening Strategies
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06962540
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- STU00221736
- Conditions
- Hearing Loss, Sensorineural
- Keywords
- Speech Recognition, Hearing Aids
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Enrolling by invitation
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Northwestern UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 18 Apr 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Jul 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Jul 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 8 May 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.
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if hearing aid settings that are customized to individual listening strategies result in better speech understanding than non-customized hearing aid settings. The main question it aims to answer is:
Do customized hearing aid settings result in better speech understanding?
Researchers will compare hearing aid settings that match individual listening strategy to a general setting.
Participants will:
Wear hearing aids for a 2-hour visit to our laboratory. Listen to some sentences in noise and repeat the sentences they hear, with two different hearing aid settings Listen to some sentences in noise and rate how understandable they think those sentences are, with two different hearing aid settings
Detailed description
Participants will complete standard clinical hearing evaluations and a listening profile test to evaluate their individual listening strategy. Hearing aids will then be programmed either based on their clinical hearing evaluations alone using typical hearing aid settings or based on their hearing test with settings further adjusted to account for their individual listening strategies.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Participants will listen to hearing aids programmed specifically for their listening strategies or to ones programmed with typical clinical settings first, then switch strategies.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Customized to match listening strategy First | Active comparator | Device: Hearing aid with settings customized to match their individual listening strategy, Device: Hearing Aid with settings based on audiogram aloneParticipants in this arm will listen to hearing aid settings programmed to match their listening strategy first, then the general setting |
| Not customized to match listening strategy First | Active comparator | Device: Hearing aid with settings customized to match their individual listening strategy, Device: Hearing Aid with settings based on audiogram aloneParticipants will listen to hearing aid settings based only on their pure-tone thresholds first (general hearing aid settings), then ones programmed to match their listening strategies. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 90 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Sensorineural hearing loss
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Montreal Cognitive Assessment < 23 points
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 aid with settings customized to match their individual listening strategyAlso: Customized Hearing Aid SettingsBehind-the-ear hearing aids that have been programmed based on the participant's individual listening strategy and hearing loss. | Device | Customized to match listening strategy First, Not customized to match listening strategy First |
| Hearing Aid with settings based on audiogram aloneAlso: General Hearing Aid SettingsBehind-the-ear hearing aids that have been programmed based on their hearing loss and typical clinical settings. | Device | Customized to match listening strategy First, Not customized to match listening strategy First |
Primary outcome
Speech recognition
Time frame: Outcome measure is collected during the intervention, a two hour visit to the lab where they are wearing the hearing aids
Participants listen to and repeat sentences, they are scored based on the % correct of keywords they accurately repeat.
1 secondary outcome
Speech Spatial Quality
Time frame: Outcome measure is collected during the intervention, a two hour visit to the lab where they are wearing the hearing aids
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 4 May 2026.
Related trials for Hearing Loss, Sensorineural
Enrolling by invitationObservational study
Post-Market Registry Study for Vibrant Hearing Solutions
Conductive Hearing Loss, Mixed Hearing Loss
RecruitingObservational study
Rare Disease Patient Registry & Natural History Study - Coordination of Rare Diseases at Sanford
Rare Disorders, Undiagnosed Disorders
Enrolling by invitationObservational study
Comparing an AI-driven Hearing Test With the Standard Hearing Test in Adults With Hearing Loss and Tinnitus
Sensorineural Hearing Loss, Tinnitus
Not yet recruiting
Effect of a Totally Implantable Cochlear Implant on Tinnitus Severity in Adults With Preoperative Tinnitus
Sensorineural Hearing Loss, Tinnitus
Active, not recruiting
An Investigation to Evaluate Sound Coding Enhancements in Adult Cochlear Implant Recipients
Cochlear Implant Recipients, Hearing Loss, Cochlear
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.
Pamela Souza, PhD principal investigator
Northwestern University
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 with settings customized to match their individual listening strategy and Hearing Aid with settings based on audiogram alone in people with Hearing Loss, Sensorineural, run by Northwestern University 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 1 inclusion and 1 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: enrolling by invitation, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 May 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?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Speech recognition (time frame: Outcome measure is collected during the intervention, a two hour visit to the lab where they are wearing the hearing aids). 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 4 May 2026.