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Related Experiment Videos

Evaluation of prescriptive fitting.

I J Gerling1

  • 1School of Speech Pathology and Audiology, Kent State University, Ohio 44242.

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
|September 1, 1992
PubMed
Summary

Custom analog hearing aid circuitry had a +/- 12 dB gain match to prescription. Despite this large tolerance, elderly adults with hearing loss still reported significant benefits from the fitting approach.

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Area of Science:

  • Audiology
  • Hearing Aid Technology
  • Biomedical Engineering

Background:

  • Analog circuitry in custom all-in-the-ear hearing aids presents electroacoustic matching challenges.
  • Prescriptive amplification formulas aim to optimize hearing aid gain, but manufacturing tolerances can impede accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the minimum tolerance for custom analog circuitry manufacturers matching hearing aids to a prescriptive formula.
  • To evaluate fitting success by comparing prescribed versus preferred gain and pre- to postfitting perceived benefits.

Main Methods:

  • Eight elderly adults with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss were enrolled.
  • Real ear measurements were conducted using a probe-tube microphone system.
  • Custom analog circuitry was built to match a prescriptive amplification formula, with tolerance analysis.

Main Results:

  • The optimal scenario of custom building yielded a +/- 12 dB electroacoustic match to prescribed gain, limited by analog technology.
  • The minimum tolerance found, while less than prior studies, was deemed excessive due to formulaic gain variations.
  • Participants preferred less gain than prescribed, yet reported substantial benefits.

Conclusions:

  • Analog hearing aid technology has inherent limitations in achieving precise electroacoustic matches to prescriptive formulas.
  • Even with significant electroacoustic tolerance, custom-fitted analog hearing aids can provide considerable perceived benefits to users.
  • Further research into digital solutions or advanced analog designs may be needed to improve fitting accuracy.

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