IMPORTANCEAlthough the National Institutes of Health (NIH) mandated the inclusion and reporting of women and racial or ethnic minority groups in NIH-funded research in 1993, little is known regarding the representation of women and racial or ethnic minority groups in trials that investigate hearing loss management.OBJECTIVE To assess sex and racial/ethnic representation in US-based clinical trials of hearing loss management in an adult population.DATA SOURCES Pertinent studies were identified using search strategies in PubMed, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov.STUDY SELECTION Our search strategy yielded 6196 studies. We included prospective studies that were written in English, performed in the US, and evaluated hearing loss management in adults, including amplification devices, such as hearing aids or assistive listening devices, cochlear implants, aural rehabilitation, and therapeutics. Given its prevalence, only studies that addressed bilateral sensorineural hearing loss were included.DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS Data from 125 studies were extracted. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses diagram for systematic reviews was used for abstracting data. The guidelines were applied using independent extraction by multiple observers. RESULTS Among 125 clinical studies performed from January 1990 to July 2020 regarding hearing loss management, only 16 (12.8%) reported race/ethnicity, and 88 (70.4%) reported sex. Of the 16 studies that reported race/ethnicity, only 5 included more than 30% non-White representation. Among the 88 articles that reported sex, 44 (35.2%) reported more than 45% female representation. While the mean number of participants included in the observed trials was 80 (range, 7-644), the median number of participants from racial or ethnic minority groups in studies that reported race/ethnicity was 9 (range, 1-77), and a median of 12 female participants were included in studies with a numerical breakdown by sex. A mean of 41% (range, 1.55%-77.5%) of participants were female among studies that reported sex, and a mean of 30% (range, 1.96%-100%) of participants were from racial or ethnic minority groups among the 16 studies that reported race/ethnicity. Reporting of race/ethnicity varied substantially by funding source and journal type, while reporting by sex differed only by journal type.CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Studies investigating hearing loss management do not adequately reflect the US population. A closer examination of the inclusion of diverse adults in clinical research associated with hearing health may work to ameliorate disparities and contribute to the development of tailored interventions that address the needs of an increasingly diverse US population.
Background Given the steady increase of emergency department (ED) visits related to opioid overdoses, this study aims to determine the design and usability of an ED-centered mHealth patient-to-peer referral prototype tool that allows patients to refer peers to comprehensive HIV/HCV and opioid misuse prevention services. Methods Two iterative focus group discussion (FDG) sessions and one use-case session were conducted. Eligible participants who were ≥18 years, had a history of injection drug use (IDU), and had utilized the ED in the past year were recruited through the distribution of flyers at the study institution, including the study ED. Human-centered design process was completed by using participant feedback on perceived utility, usability/accessibility, tool design, and clarity/readability to fine-tune prototype version and drive subsequent discussion sessions. Results Sixteen consented individuals participated in at least one of the sessions. Feedback revealed that participants favored the inclusion of the webpage link on the referral card as means to bypass QR code if needed, more descriptions highlighting the exact services offered, and the fact that no personal information was required to complete the referral process. The prototype underwent several adjustments between user-centered FDG sessions, which ultimately ended in including features such as an online webpage with educational videos, SMS text-message communication system, and QR code usage into the final patient-to-peer referral tool prototype. Conclusion The findings of this study suggest a human-centered designed patient-to-peer referral tool could be a feasible approach to linking community members at risk of IDU to HIV/HCV and opioid use-related preventive services from ED patients.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.