Hearing Healthcare Assessment in Rural Communities

Patients presenting for routine office visits will be invited to participate in the study and informed consent procedures and study enrollment will be conducted by a research assistant. Participants will then undergo baseline assessment. Following baseline measures, participants who screen positive for hearing loss will be contacted by the Patient Navigator (PN) to begin the intervention. The navigator will contact participants every 2 weeks to focus on addressing key aspects of Hearing Health Care (HHC): education, screening, diagnosis, and treatment. PNs will assist the patient to undergo a formal audiogram with the 12 months following enrollment. Each PN session will likely last between 10-30 minutes. Post-intervention data collection also administered by a trained interviewer, will occur following a diagnostic audiogram with an audiologist or at 12 months following enrollment.