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Personal sound amplifiers for veterans with hearing difficulty in emergency departments

Tests personal amplifiers for veterans with hearing difficulty seen in emergency departments.

Key facts

Who runs it
VA Office of Research and Development
Where
Aurora, Dallas, Durham, New York, Syracuse, and The Bronx, United StatesSee the 6 sites
Trial code
Registry title
Hearing Impairment, Strategies and Outcomes in VA Emergency Departments
Status
Recruiting
People taking part
1,050 people, planned
Started
8 Dec 2021
Expected to end
31 Mar 2027
Type of study
Interventional, 2 groups
Treatments tested
  • Personal Amplifier
  • No Personal Amplifier
Record updated
5 October 2026

Who can take part

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for Veterans aged 60 or older in a VA emergency department who report hearing difficulty. It tests whether a personal hearing amplifier helps them hear and understand discharge instructions.

Age
60 Years and older
Sex
All sexes can join.
Disease stage
Hearing difficulty found by screening. Emergency severity index of 3 (medium), 4, or 5 (low urgency).
Earlier treatment
People using cochlear implants cannot join.
Biomarker or test result
Hearing Handicap Inventory-Screen score of 10 or more, or a positive answer to a single screening question.

Main reasons for not taking part

  • Emergency severity index of 1-2 (high urgency)
  • Not able to give consent to take part in research
  • Not able to speak English
  • Hearing Handicap Inventory-Screen below 10 and a negative answer to the single screening question
  • Using cochlear implants

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 9 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • 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

Who cannot take part

  • Using cochlear implants
  • 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

Where in United States

  • Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, Aurora, COAurora, United StatesContact: Lauren Abbate, MDTaking people
  • VA North Texas Health Care System Dallas VA Medical Center, Dallas, TXDallas, United StatesContact: Rohit Manaktala, MDTaking people
  • Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NCDurham, United StatesContact: Luna Ragsdale, MDTaking people
  • VA NY Harbor Healthcare System, New York, NYNew York, United StatesContact: Olga DotsenkoTaking people
  • Syracuse VA Medical Center, Syracuse, NYSyracuse, United StatesContact: Joshua Chodosh, MD MSHSNo longer taking part
  • James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NYThe Bronx, United StatesContact: Ula Hwang, MDTaking people

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

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.

The 2 groups in the trial

  • Intervention: Personal AmplifierTreatment being tested

    Consenting participants will be randomly assigned to the intervention group while receiving care in the emergency department

    Treatment: Personal Amplifier

  • Control: No Personal AmplifierOther group

    Consenting participants will be randomly assigned to the control group while receiving care in the emergency department

    Treatment: No Personal Amplifier

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Official title
Implementing HearVA (I-HearVA)
Plain-language title
Personal sound amplifiers for veterans with hearing difficulty in emergency departmentsGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 14 November 2026.
Record updated
5 October 2026