Hearing Impairment, Strategies and Outcomes in VA Emergency Departments

Description

HearVA involves six VA facility emergency departments (ED) over a 3-year intervention period. The first part of this study will test whether providing personal amplifiers to Veteran ED patients who self-report hearing difficulty is acceptable to these patients, can improve their hearing, enhance understanding of discharge instructions, and can reduce the risk of coming back to the ED in a short period of time (3 days and 30 days). The second part of the study will then identify whether ED staff can implement this program and achieve similar results. The second part will give ED staff increasing levels of responsibility for screening Veterans for hearing difficulty and providing personal amplifiers when such difficulty is detected.

Conditions

Hearing Loss, Emergency Service, Hospital Readmission

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

HearVA involves six VA facility emergency departments (ED) over a 3-year intervention period. The first part of this study will test whether providing personal amplifiers to Veteran ED patients who self-report hearing difficulty is acceptable to these patients, can improve their hearing, enhance understanding of discharge instructions, and can reduce the risk of coming back to the ED in a short period of time (3 days and 30 days). The second part of the study will then identify whether ED staff can implement this program and achieve similar results. The second part will give ED staff increasing levels of responsibility for screening Veterans for hearing difficulty and providing personal amplifiers when such difficulty is detected.

Implementing HearVA (I-HearVA)

Hearing Impairment, Strategies and Outcomes in VA Emergency Departments

Condition
Hearing Loss
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Aurora

Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, Aurora, CO, Aurora, Colorado, United States, 80045

Bronx

James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, Bronx, New York, United States, 10468

New York

Manhattan Campus of the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System, New York, NY, New York, New York, United States, 10010-5011

Syracuse

Syracuse VA Medical Center, Syracuse, NY, Syracuse, New York, United States, 13210

Durham

Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27705

Dallas

VA North Texas Health Care System Dallas VA Medical Center, Dallas, TX, Dallas, Texas, United States, 75216

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * English speaking
  • * Emergency severity index criterion of 3 (medium), 4, or 5 (low acuity)
  • * Hearing Handicap Inventory-Screen greater than or equal to 10 or positive answer to a single-item screening question
  • * Capacity to consent to participate in research
  • * Inability to consent to participate in research
  • * Emergency severity index criterion of 1-2 (high acuity)
  • * Hearing Handicap Inventory-Screen less than 10 and negative answer to single item screening question
  • * Inability to speak English
  • * Using cochlear implants

Ages Eligible for Study

60 Years to

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

VA Office of Research and Development,

Joshua Chodosh, MD MSHS, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Manhattan Campus of the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System, New York, NY

Study Record Dates

2024-09-30