SBIR/STTR Award attributes
Project Summary/Abstract Innovative Design Labs Inc. (IDL) and its collaborators, proposes to create a cloud-based system which integrates advances and techniques from Health and Wellness Coaching (HWC) into the Hearing Aid (HA) fitting and trial process. As of 2015, 28.8 million U.S. adults could benefit from using hearing aids and the prevalence of hearing loss in the United States is predicted to rise significantly due to an aging population and the growing use of personal listening devices. However, only 28.5% of individuals who could benefit from a HA actually wears one. The non-use of hearing aids by people with hearing loss has many far-reaching implications for their physical health, mental health, and their social life. As the market moves towards a, direct- to-consumer distribution model following the 2017 FDA directive, more patients will be receiving therapy for hearing loss. While in traditional practice, an audiologist assists the patient with support adjusting to their new therapy, there is no person fulfilling that role in the direct-to-consumer model. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that the integration of Health and Wellness Coaching, aided by cloud-based tools, into this process will increase patients’ satisfaction and usage of hearing health products. Specific Aims: 1) Create patient/coach interaction protocol and training; 2) Develop a cloud-based Health Coaching Interface; 3) Evaluate system effectiveness through a clinical trial.Project Narrative According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), in 2015, about 1 in 6 U.S. adults ages 18+ reported trouble hearing (37.5 million people). The prevalence of hearing loss in the United States is predicted to continue to rise significantly due to an aging population and the growing use of personal listening devices. Over the years, many advancements in digital signal processing, miniaturization, and aesthetics have been incorporated into hearing aids, but patient non-use has frustratingly persisted with the HA market continuing to be sullied with low adoption rates, low usage rates, and high return rates. 3T
