Unaided and aided performance with a directional open-fit hearing aid

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Hearing Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Hearing aids are crucial for individuals with hearing loss.
• Evaluating the efficacy of different hearing aid microphone settings is essential for optimizing patient outcomes.
• Open-fit behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids are commonly prescribed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare unaided, omnidirectional aided, and directional aided performance in new hearing aid users.
• To assess the impact of directional microphones on speech reception thresholds (RTS) and subjective user experience.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-six subjects without prior amplification experience were fitted with bilateral open-fit BTE hearing aids.
• Performance was measured using reception thresholds for sentences (RTS) with HINT sentences in restaurant noise.
• Subjective impressions were gathered using the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire.

Main Results:

• Directional microphone performance was significantly better than both unaided and omnidirectional aided performance.
• Omnidirectional aided performance showed no significant difference compared to unaided performance.
• APHAB scores indicated significantly better aided performance than unaided across several subscales.

Conclusions:

• Directional microphones are necessary for significant audiological benefit in the tested hearing aid and conditions.
• Omnidirectional settings on BTE hearing aids may not offer a significant advantage over unaided listening.
• New hearing aid users perceived subjective benefits with the experimental aid, particularly with directional settings.