A University of Iowa study on hearing care has been named Editor’s Choice: Clinical Trial of the Year for 2025 by JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

Professor Yu-Hsiang Wu and Research Audiologist Elizabeth Stangl in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and Professor Jacob Oleson of the Department of Biostatistics in the College of Public Health, led the study, “Hearing Aid Service Models, Technology, and Patient Outcomes: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” The paper evaluates how different approaches to hearing care affect how well people hear in everyday life, offering evidence to guide patients and clinicians. 

The Editor’s Choice designation recognizes clinical trials with significant impact, innovation, or interest within the field. For Wu and Stangl, the distinction was both meaningful and surprising.

“It is an unexpected honor,” Wu said. “As researchers, our goal is to discover findings that are useful and can genuinely make a difference in people’s quality of life.”

The study compared how well patients could hear using hearing aids based on the type of care they received and the devices they used. Specifically, the study compared patients who worked with an audiologist to those who used over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids.

Results show that patients who worked with audiologists experienced better outcomes than those who used OTC hearing aids on their own. The study also found no evidence that higher-cost, high-end devices produced better results than lower-cost options.

These findings come at a critical time, as access and affordability continue to shape how individuals seek hearing care.

“Many people with hearing loss avoid or delay hearing aids because of cost and access,” Stangl said. “This means that patients and care providers should reconsider the myth that higher-priced technology necessarily provides greater benefit.”

The study brought together experts from across the University of Iowa, including the Department of Computer Science, and the Department of Biostatistics in the College of Public Health. Their collaboration helped shape how the study was designed and analyzed.

“The support from CLAS has been tremendous,” Wu said. “These interdisciplinary collaborations would not be possible without a campus culture that actively supports and values collaboration.”

In announcing the selection, Editor in Chief Jay F. Piccirillo, MD described the study as “rigorous, timely, and directly actionable,” noting that the field has been seeking strong evidence about the effectiveness of OTC hearing aids since they became available for purchase without a prescription in 2022 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

“The message for clinicians and patients is clear: invest in the professional relationship, not necessarily the premium price tag,” Piccirillo wrote. “That is the kind of evidence that moves our field forward.”

As the research continues to reach a broader audience, Wu, Stangl, and their research team hope the findings will contribute to more accessible, effective hearing care.

Wu previously discussed the study’s design and findings in a podcast interview with JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery.