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Despite the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic imposed on many research studies, researchers at Nottingham BRC proved themselves to be innovative once again, by moving a significant proportion of the Hearing Theme’s clinical research activities online.

The ability for volunteers to continue taking part in research programmes throughout the various lockdowns has been beneficial for their mental health and wellbeing, as people with hearing loss can often feel isolated from other members of society, especially during a pandemic.

Despite the barriers to the continuation of non-urgent public health research - and the redeployment of research delivery staff to support COVID-19 studies in 2020-21 - Senior Research Fellow Dr Helen Henshaw worked with her Clinical Research Network colleagues in supporting research staff at the BRC to keep research studies active and convert a large number of hearing studies to an online format.

Dr Henshaw, who is also Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) specialty lead for the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) East Midlands Clinical Research Network (CRN), said: “In doing so, we supported staff in maintaining previous significant growth in the number of ENT studies on the NIHR portfolio and the number of patients recruited to those studies. Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust has consistently ranked number one in the UK for the number of ENT studies on the research portfolio since 2018.”

Using innovative methods of research, including online video calls, speech in noise tests, surveys, and interactive software – which might not have been considered possible in some cases a few years ago – has drawn positive feedback from patients.

Elaine Salmons, who lives in Nuttall, Nottinghamshire, requires hearing aids and has been a patient of the NUH Audiology team based at Ropewalk House.

She has also received treatment for temporary tinnitus by the EENT department at the QMC hospital, a hearing condition that has now disappeared, and has previously taken part in face-to-face Hearing research at Ropewalk.

Elaine welcomed the chance to be able to continue contributing to research studies during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has participated in two online studies with Nottingham BRC so far during 2021.

“One of the studies involved a questionnaire and this was very suitable for online use,” she said.

“It did help (with my wellbeing); taking part in the study felt like you were doing something positive. As a hearing aid user, you also want to improve technology for the future.

“One of the studies was really fun to participate in. And for both of them, it was a case of me being occupied and learning at the same time.”

While attending physical research focus groups has been beneficial, Elaine has found there can be problems hearing the proceedings clearly, due to background noise.

“In some respects, doing research studies online has been easier,” she said. “However, it is also nice to hear other people’s ideas.”

Hearing studies which are currently recruiting patients.

The Nottingham BRC Hearing Theme has been able to continue to recruit patients to many of its NIHR portfolio studies. These studies include:

• CHEAR This study was launched in the spring and will help Nottingham BRC find out if COVID or the treatments for it can affect hearing, tinnitus, and balance.
• Clarity . A series of listening tasks to help improve hearing aid ability to process speech in background noise for bilateral (two) hearing aid users.
• GAIN 1 . This study asks participants to complete several questionnaires that measure different aspects of hearing and health behaviours via an online survey, and will assess the suitability of health behaviour theory to predict hearing aid use.
• GAIN 2 . This study involves remote interviews with patients to find out what encourages and discourages their use of hearing aids. Results will inform a new health behaviour intervention designed to improve hearing aid use for new NHS patients.
• FUN The FUN study asks children with unilateral or bilateral hearing loss to take part in interactive discussions about hearing loss and fatigue.