Implementing Internet-Based Aural Rehabilitation in a General Clinical Practice

Area of Science:

• Clinical Research
• Digital Health
• Audiology

Background:

• General clinical practice (GCP) presents unique challenges for implementing randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
• Internet-based interventions offer potential solutions to overcome these implementation hurdles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To share lessons learned from implementing an Internet-based RCT in GCP.
• To highlight the advantages of using the Internet for RCT implementation in a clinical setting.
• To investigate Internet-based aural rehabilitation (AR) combined with hearing aid (HA) fitting and telephone support.

Main Methods:

• The study details the trial's research question, recruitment strategy, eligibility criteria, and questionnaires.
• Clinician participation, funding, time commitment, and participant risks/benefits were considered.
• The trial focused on aural rehabilitation (AR) in addition to hearing aid (HA) fitting within a clinical setting.

Main Results:

• The implementation demonstrated that Internet-based aural rehabilitation (AR) can be successfully integrated with hearing aid (HA) fitting in general clinical practice (GCP).
• Utilizing an Internet-based RCT approach mitigated several common challenges associated with clinical trial implementation.
• Specific results and questionnaire data will be presented in a separate publication.

Conclusions:

• Internet-based RCTs are a viable method for conducting trials in general clinical practice (GCP).
• This approach facilitates the delivery of aural rehabilitation (AR) services alongside hearing aid (HA) fitting.
• The study underscores the potential of digital health tools to enhance clinical trial methodologies.