Low-cost bone conduction hearing devices for people with chronic suppurative otitis media in Africa
Supervisors: Prof Mahmood Bhutta, Dr Deborah Nyirenda, Dr Alan Sanderson
Application deadline: Wednesday 1 January 2025
Competition Funded PhD Project (Malawi or Zimbabwe nationals)
Open to local candidates only
Aims of the Project
- Test real world effectiveness of this device in a model of “direct to user” in community settings.
- To see the number of participants who wish to continue to use the device and to ascertain if there are audiological predictors of those who wish to continue to use the device.
About
Recent work by our teams and others has found that commercially available direct to consumer bone conduction hearing devices (developed for the sports market) can effectively treat conductive hearing loss in children with middle ear disease (otitis media). We have trialled such devices in the UK and in a small cohort of children with chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) in Malawi.This PhD will expand on this pilot work and test real world effectiveness of this device in a model of “direct to user” in community settings. The device will be provided to 150 adults and children in communities in Southern Africa who complain of disabling hearing loss and a history of current or previous ear discharge. Participants will trial the device for a minimum of 2-3 weeks, and at the end of this time, you will evaluate outcomes. This will include the number of participants who wish to continue to use the device (primary outcome), and duration of use, acceptability, practicality, and willingness to pay. You will undertake audiological testing of participants to ascertain if there are audiological predictors of those who wish to continue to use the device and those who do not. You will also evaluate qualitative outcomes on a cohort of 30-40 individuals, including users, carers/family members and teachers using semi-structured interviews, supplemented by a questionnaire for the entire cohort. You will evaluate experience of the intervention (ease of use, challenges to use, resistance to use and developed technical skills/literacy) and outcomes on self-reported quality of life (access to and impact on user learning, ability for communication and socialisation, improved confidence and empowerment, impact on employment or employability, perceptions of social inclusion & reduction of stigmatisation).
The student will gain experience in trial methodology (supported by the clinical trials unit at Brighton and Sussex Medical School), as well as qualitative data collection and analysis, and knowledge and experience of the challenges of implementation of processes and technologies in low resource settings.
This PhD is suitable for a candidate based in based in Southern or Eastern Africa, with a background in audiology and with a good level of written and spoken English. The trials will provisionally be undertaken in Malawi and Zambia, but the final locations can be decided in discussion with appointed student (and can include neighbouring African countries). You will need to have taken the IELTS examination within the last 2 years, unless you have taken a degree in an English language speaking country in the same time period. You will need to achieve an overall score of 7.0 and 7.0 in all sections. You will need to have a degree qualification and experience in audiology.
Funding Notes
The project is funded by a Global Health Grant from the UK National Institute for Health Research. This includes PhD fees, a stipend to cover living costs, and travel, accommodation and living costs for visits to research sites. It also includes funding for a one week visit to the UK for academic training, and a research officer to support recruitment and data collection at some of the trial sites.
How to apply
Applicants must apply through the University’s application Portal (StudentView (brighton.ac.uk)) where they can submit a CV and complete the application form. Interview dates are TBC.