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Polymerase Chain Reaction: Basic Protocol Plus Troubleshooting and Optimization Strategies
Published on: May 22, 2012
Randomized trial of amplification strategies
B Yueh1, P E Souza, J A McDowell
1Surgery Service (112OTO), VA Puget Sound Health Care System, 1660 S Columbian Way, Seattle, WA 98108, USA. byueh@u.washington.edu
Archives of Otolaryngology--Head & Neck Surgery
|November 1, 2001
Summary
Programmable hearing aids with directional microphones significantly improved quality of life for veterans. Conventional hearing aids also showed effectiveness compared to no amplification or assistive listening devices.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Gerontology
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Limited data exists on quality of life (QoL) outcomes with specific hearing aid technologies.
- The cost-effectiveness of advanced features like programmable circuits and directional microphones remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of a programmable directional microphone hearing aid against a nonprogrammable, nondirectional microphone hearing aid and no amplification.
- To evaluate hearing-related QoL, communication ability, adherence, and willingness to pay in veteran populations.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 60 veterans diagnosed with bilateral moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss.
- Participants were assigned to four groups: no amplification, an assistive listening device, a conventional nonprogrammable hearing aid, or a programmable directional microphone hearing aid.
- Outcomes were assessed 3 months post-fitting, including hearing-related QoL, communication ability, adherence, and willingness to pay.
Main Results:
- The programmable directional microphone hearing aid demonstrated the greatest improvement in hearing-related QoL scores (31.1 points).
- Conventional hearing aids also showed significant improvements (17.4 points) compared to assistive listening devices (4.4 points) and no amplification (2.2 points).
- Similar trends were observed in self-reported communication ability, adherence, and willingness to pay.
Conclusions:
- Programmable hearing aids with directional microphones offer the highest effectiveness for improving QoL in veterans with hearing loss.
- Nonprogrammable hearing aids with omnidirectional microphones provide significant benefits over no amplification or basic assistive listening devices.
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