{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]],"date-time":"2026-05-22T14:09:20Z","timestamp":1779458960915,"version":"3.53.1"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]],"date-time":"2026-05-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779408000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Mayo Clinic Research Innovation"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Audiology Research"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Hearing loss is frequently misunderstood by communication partners and healthcare providers of patients with hearing loss alike, leading to gaps in counseling, medical adherence, and empathy. Hearing loss simulation is a technique that can clarify patient experience by illustrating how hearing loss affects daily listening and speech discrimination. The current research explores the influences of a web-based hearing loss simulator on how hearing loss is understood by communication partners, audiologists, and medical providers\/students. Methods: Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, 72 participants (communication partners, audiologists, and medical providers\/residents) completed a guided trial with the hearing simulator, either one-on-one or in group settings, and subsequently completed a questionnaire regarding their experiences. The simulation trial included demonstrations of hearing loss and amplification across four listening environments: speech in quiet, in noise, at a distance, as well as listening to instrumental music. Results: Communication partners reported that they gained a better understanding of their partner\u2019s hearing loss, with all expressing increased feelings of empathy towards their partner and individuals with hearing loss. When compared to audiologists, communication partners were significantly more surprised by the impact of hearing loss on speech understanding. Medical providers and students emphasized the value of the simulator as a counseling tool and highly recommended that other providers use the simulator with their patients. Conclusions: Simulating hearing loss can be beneficial for counseling purposes and medical training. These findings suggest that hearing loss simulation can enhance empathy and communication across clinical and educational contexts.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/audiolres16030077","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]],"date-time":"2026-05-22T13:12:08Z","timestamp":1779455528000},"page":"77","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Hearing Through the Patient\u2019s Ears: Hearing Simulation for Counseling and Education"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-6703-5820","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hailey A.","family":"Kingsbury","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Audiology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ 85259, USA"},{"name":"Aerospace Medicine and Vestibular Research Laboratory, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ 85259, USA"},{"name":"Aerospace Medicine Program, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ 85259, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-3411-242X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sarah E.","family":"Kingsbury","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Audiology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ 85259, USA"},{"name":"Aerospace Medicine and Vestibular Research Laboratory, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ 85259, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michael J.","family":"Cevette","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Audiology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ 85259, USA"},{"name":"Aerospace Medicine and Vestibular Research Laboratory, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ 85259, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5748-6150","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jan","family":"Stepanek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Aerospace Medicine and Vestibular Research Laboratory, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ 85259, USA"},{"name":"Aerospace Medicine Program, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ 85259, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Edwar","family":"Habr","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hi Dev Mobile Inc., San Mateo, CA 94403, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hussein","family":"Itawi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hi Dev Mobile Inc., San Mateo, CA 94403, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4040-462X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gaurav N.","family":"Pradhan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Audiology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ 85259, USA"},{"name":"Aerospace Medicine and Vestibular Research Laboratory, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ 85259, USA"},{"name":"Department of Biomedical Informatics, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ 85259, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"50","DOI":"10.1080\/20786204.2014.10844583","article-title":"Hearing Loss within a Marriage: Perceptions of the Spouse with Normal Hearing","volume":"56","author":"Govender","year":"2014","journal-title":"South Afr. 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