Key Dates

Related Announcements

PAR-21-063 – NIDCD Clinical Trials in Communication Disorders (R01 Clinical Trial Required)

PA-20-185 - NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PA-20-195 – NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PA-20-194 – NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Required)

PAR-21-064 - NIDCD Cooperative Agreement for Clinical Trials in Communication Disorders (U01 – Clinical Trial Required)

PA-20-260 – PHS 2019-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PA-20-265 – PHS 2019-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PA-20-262 – PHS 2019-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Required)

PA-20-265 – PHS 2019-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Required)

Issued by

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Purpose

The purpose of this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) is to encourage applications for research on hearing health care in adults in support of improving access and affordability. Further research is needed to strengthen the evidence base with a goal of delivering better hearing health care outcomes in adults.

Background

Hearing loss (HL) is a leading public health concern. Untreated HL significantly impacts communication abilities and quality of life, and has serious psychosocial and economic ramifications. Approximately 17 percent of American adults, or 36 million people, report some degree of HL. Age-related hearing loss is of increasing public health concern as the older adult population grows. Globally, hearing loss has been identified as the fifth leading cause of years lived with disability.

Hearing aids remain the primary treatment modality for individuals with chronic sensorineural HL. Yet, fewer than 20 percent of those with HL who require assistance seek intervention for their condition, even when they report substantial hearing difficulties. This is due to many reasons, including the perceived and actual benefits of hearing health care (HHC), the perceived need for HHC, the high cost, confusing access, stigma, and value (benefit relative to price) associated with hearing aids. In the adult HHC system, most costs are out of pocket and the costs are relatively high. Medicare does not cover the cost of hearing aids or associated services, and the vast majority of employers do not provide HHC insurance. Even when a hearing aid is obtained, its use may be curtailed or discontinued because of perceived lack of benefit, interference from background noise, or sound quality. Before seeking a hearing aid, most hearing aid users have lived with HL for more than 10 years, and their impairment has progressed to moderate-to-severe levels. For many reasons the needs of the vast majority of adults with HL are not being met.

To further explore this problem, the NIDCD/NIH convened a panel of scientific experts on Accessible and Affordable Hearing Health Care for Adults with Mild to Moderate Hearing Loss in August 2009. The panel developed a research agenda to increase the accessibility and affordability of HHC for adults with mild to moderate hearing HL. An extensive inventory of research recommendations was outlined. These extensive recommendations remain timely, and seek quality solutions that are effective, affordable, and deliverable to those who need them as well as implementable and sustainable in settings beyond the research environment. A summary of the panel’s report with the accompanying suggestions can be found at:http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/funding/programs/09HHC/summary.htm.

In June 2016, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), released a Consensus Study report entitled "Hearing Health Care for Adults: Priorities for Improving Access and Affordability" (http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/Reports/2016/Hearing-Health-Care-for-Adults.aspx). The NASEM report focused on improving the accessibility and affordability of HHC for adults of all ages, and encompassed the range of services (e.g., diagnosis and evaluation, auditory rehabilitation) and hearing technologies (hearing aid and hearing assistive technologies) relevant to adult hearing loss. The numerous research recommendations included in the report were designed to lead to a HHC system that allows a range of solutions, provides a person-centered, person-directed continuum of care across the life span, provides improved outcomes, and allows for an integrated approach that provides a variety of options.

Purpose and Research Objectives

This NOSI encourages applications on hearing loss and hearing health care in adults in support of improving access and affordability. Further research is needed to strengthen the evidence base with a goal of delivering better hearing health care outcomes in adults.

NIDCD encourages applications addressing the research recommendations in the 2009 NIDCD research workshop on AAHHC and the 2016 NASEM report "Hearing Health Care for Adults: Priorities for Improving Access and Affordability."

Research Objectives

Appropriate studies may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Population Based Studies:

• Conduct studies, including longitudinal studies, in diverse populations to better understand the risk and natural history of hearing loss, risk factors, and comorbidities of hearing loss,
• Conduct studies documenting the impact of hearing loss and its treatment on patient outcomes, including health, social function, employment, quality of life, and independence and the need for social services,
• Conduct studies addressing the economic burden of hearing loss,
• Conduct research on the health and economic benefits of identifying and treating adult HL early,
• Conduct studies addressing gaps in knowledge about variations in the incidence of HL among and across racial and ethnic populations and across geographic areas,
• Conduct studies addressing hearing health care needs across diverse populations
• Conduct studies seeking to improve understanding of HHC disparities and to investigate how economic, racial, cultural, gender, and age-related factors may influence HHC use and patient-centered outcomes.

Innovative Models:

• Evaluate the comparative effectiveness of different care delivery models and the utilization of new technologies to improve care,
• Evaluate innovative models including, but not limited to, community health workers, telehealth, mobile health, retail clinics, and self-administered hearing health care, with outcomes that are patient centered,
• Conduct studies targeting and developing affordable and accessible interventions to meet the unique and varying needs of adults with hearing loss, including racial/ethnic minorities,
• Conduct research addressing rural health issues potentially affecting HHC utilization and the unique HHC needs of rural populations
• Evaluating the efficacy and efficiency of aural rehabilitation programs in a large-scale, long-term, and systematic way, using standardized outcome measures to full meet tests of scientific rigor,
• Develop quality metrics and measures to evaluate HHC services with a focus on measures that are applicable to communicating in the complex environments of daily life with relevance to communication-focused patient outcomes.

Technologies:

• Conduct effectiveness and comparative-effectiveness studies of hearing technologies using consumer-relevant parameters across the varying levels of severity of hearing loss,
• Conduct research into the design of hearing aids and hearing assistive technologies with a focus on improved clarity, reduced background noise, improved ease of use (i.e., dexterity issues for older adults), and compatibility with other assistive and communications technologies,
• Determine characteristics of direct-to-consumer hearing aids providing patient benefit, including technology performance characteristics, as well as patient education components,
• Develop a self-testing and self-fitting hearing aid technology, considering access, affordability, and requisite information for patient education and ease of use,
• Investigate the relative risks and benefits of new technological approaches in comparison to the traditional models of HHC care delivery using patient-centered outcomes, such as the benefit to real-world communication function and health-related quality of life (rather than traditional audiologic outcomes, such as traditional audiometric tests performed in a sound-treated booth).

Collaborative and Interdisciplinary Research:

• Research teams seeking to address hearing loss as public health concern with cross-disciplinary training are especially encouraged. These teams include knowledge and experience in research hearing loss and its treatment, methodology, epidemiological methods, advanced biostatistics, health services, health economics research methods, etc.
• Research interaction and collaboration among the many relevant parties (e.g., researchers, service providers, patient-advocacy organizations, professional organizations, and industry) is encouraged.
• Community-based participatory research is encouraged.

Application and Submission Information

This notice applies to due dates on or after June 5, 2021 and subsequent receipt dates through January 7, 2024 

Submit applications for this initiative using one of the following funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) or any reissues of these announcement through the expiration date of this notice.

• PAR-21-063 – NIDCD Clinical Trials in Communication Disorders (R01 Clinical Trial Required)
• PA-20-185 -  NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-20-195 – NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-20-194 – NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Required)
• PAR-21-064 - NIDCD Cooperative Agreement for Clinical Trials in Communication Disorders (U01 – Clinical Trial Required)
• PA-20-260 – PHS 2019-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-20-265 – PHS 2019-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
• PA-20-262 – PHS 2019-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Required)
• PA-20-265 – PHS 2019-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Required)

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and the funding opportunity announcement used for submission must be followed, with the following additions:

• For funding consideration, applicants must include “NOT-DC-21-001” (without quotation marks) in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4B) of the SF424 R&R form. Applications without this information in box 4B will not be considered for this initiative.

Applications nonresponsive to terms of this NOSI will not be considered for the NOSI initiative.

Inquiries

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

Kelly King, Au.D, Ph.D.
NIDCD/Division of Scientific Programs
Telephone: 301-402-3458
Email: kingke@nidcd.nih.gov

Peer Review Contact(s)

Examine your eRA Commons account for review assignment and contact information (information appears two weeks after the submission due date).

Financial/Grants Management Contact(s)

Christopher Myers
NIDCD/Division of Extramural Activities
Telephone: 301-402-0909
Email: myersc@mail.nih.gov