A web-based app to help adults with hearing loss make informed choices about hearing healthcare has progressed to a beta version before a trial begins in 2025.
HearChoice is a tailored online, interactive, and modular decision-support intervention to help increase informed decisions, accessibility and uptake of hearing healthcare for adults with hearing loss.
It covers technology (e.g. hearing aids, hearables) and non-technology (e.g. auditory training) options, and includes information on the impact of hearing loss and benefits of hearing interventions.
Developed through NHMRC-funded research, HearChoice’s developers said it addressed national research priorities and aimed to empower people. It would do this by offering choice and control over their own hearing healthcare, leading to improved individual, societal and economic outcomes.
Lead investigator, Curtin University Associate Professor in Brain and Hearing Melanie Ferguson from the university’s School of Allied Health and Curtin enAble Institute, said users had been testing a beta version of the app.
Surveys showed that consumers said the most important pieces of information were costs and funding, with 86% rating these “extremely or very” important. Overall, 85% of hearing care professionals and 74% of consumers supported HearChoice, she said.
“HearChoice is an evidence-based, unbiased, trusted ‘go-to’ app to guide adults with hearing difficulties to make the best hearing health decisions for them,” A/Prof Ferguson said.
“Four million Australians have hearing loss yet many do not seek help and are unaware of the hearing healthcare options that are available. This leads to many people not obtaining the hearing healthcare they need.
“We are creating a tailored online decision aid to explain the pros and cons of the full range of available hearing health options. We anticipate this guided approach to decision-making will increase uptake of hearing healthcare and improve the lives of many adults with hearing loss.
“HearChoice aims to educate, engage and empower those seeking help, as well as improving hearing outcomes faster to overcome the nine year delay in help-seeking.”
The trial protocol has been registered on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry with a randomised controlled trial in adults with hearing loss due to start in March 2025. The trial will evaluate the clinical-effectiveness, and perform an economic analysis, of HearChoice.
Receiving accolades and awards
The HearChoice team recently received several awards and accolades. A/Prof Ferguson and Perth audiologist Ms Kat Penno received scholarships for a one-week Curtin Ignition 2024 Entrepreneur program.
The research team also received the Curtin University enAble Institute Consumer and Community Research Award.
The award of $1,000 toward research-related activities was received on 31 October 2024 for including people with lived experience of hearing loss throughout the entire process.
HearChoice was co-designed with people with lived experience of hearing loss together with other key stakeholders, including representatives of professional bodies, hearing care professionals and providers, advocacy groups, device manufacturers, and policy makers.
A/Prof Ferguson said involvement of these groups in research, including patients, known as Consumer and Community Involvement (CCI), was at the heart of the HearChoice development.
“CCI transforms research and the development of digital hearing health tools. To truly ensure that the end-users’ needs are met in hearing healthcare and research, CCI is no longer a nice- to-have but an essential must-have,” A/Prof Ferguson said.
In November 2024 it was also one of 12 start-ups chosen by Curtin University’s Accelerate 2025 entrepreneur program, a 10-week program to support entrepreneurs and launch market-ready innovations.
A/Prof Ferguson, Penno and psychologist and research associate, Dr Ellen Bothe from Curtin University’s enAble Institute have been the driving forces behind the app. Other researchers nationwide have also been involved including from Macquarie University, The University of Queensland, and National Acoustic Laboratories.
“HearChoice is evidence-based, codesigned, unbiased, and trusted as it does not refer to any manufacturer or brand,” A/Prof Ferguson said. “It has all information included except external links to a hearing test and lists of hearing care professionals.”
One of the CCI participants who had hearing difficulties described it as “interactive, comprehensive and underpinned by health behaviour and implementation science theory, as well as being easy to use and liked by users.”
“HearChoice felt like I had a personal coach assisting me – it breathed non-judgmental, no bias, with simple empathetic language,” the patient said.
