# Feasibility of a Hearing Program in Primary Care for Underserved Older Adults

> **NIH NIH R03** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2024 · $169,091

## Abstract

Project Summary
Age related hearing loss is insidious, common and often mistaken as an inevitable part of aging. Untreated
hearing loss is a public health issue, and is strongly associated with social isolation and an array of negative
health effects including cognitive impairment and poor quality of life. Given its insidious and typically
unrecognized onset, opportunities to address hearing-related communication difficulties are often missed in
primary care where most older persons receive medical care.
Primary care settings may be an effective setting to address age-related hearing loss, given that many adults
have not sought hearing treatment within the current model of hearing health delivery, or ever had hearing
screening. The current model of audiological care lacks efficiency and scalability to address the true burden of
this chronic condition. Hearing aids are in limited use due to cost and logistics limiting access and this is
particularly relevant to those with the greatest need. Newer, more innovative pathways to deliver hearing care
are needed.
The overall goals of this GEMSSTAR application are to: 1) test the feasibility of a hearing program including
screening and alternative rehabilitation strategies to in older adults in public hospital-based primary care clinic
using a convergent mixed method design. 2) establish the first steps needed for an implementation science
career in hearing healthcare disparities from the perspective of an otologist/ear specialist to improve the quality
and equity of hearing care for older adults.
During a primary care visit, we will screen and identify participants with hearing loss and then randomize to a)
counseling on accessible assistive listening devices or b) referral to traditional audiology care pathway alone.
Feasibility measures will demonstrate our ability to screen patients, randomize them to interventions and
complete the follow up in preparation for a larger efficacy trial on the impact of this program on hearing and
communication. Future work will seek to demonstrate improvement in longer-term outcomes impacting overall
biopsychosocial health.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10911353
- **Project number:** 5R03AG082995-02
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** David R Friedmann
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $169,091
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10911353

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10911353, Feasibility of a Hearing Program in Primary Care for Underserved Older Adults (5R03AG082995-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-29 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10911353. Licensed CC0.

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