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Aided masked thresholds: case of deception
1University of Maryland, Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, College Park 20742.
Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
|July 1, 1993
Summary
Internal hearing aid noise can contaminate functional gain measures, leading to inaccurate hearing aid fittings. Recognizing this measurement error is crucial for precise audiological assessments and optimal patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Audiology and Hearing Science
- Biomedical Engineering
- Acoustics
Background:
- Accurate hearing aid fitting relies on precise measurement of functional gain.
- Internal hearing aid noise is a potential, often overlooked, source of measurement error.
- Understanding factors influencing audiological measurements is critical for clinical practice.
Observation:
- A specific case demonstrated functional gain measures being contaminated by internal hearing aid noise.
- This contamination led to an underestimation of the actual real ear insertion gain.
- The observed discrepancy highlights a significant flaw in standard measurement protocols.
Findings:
- Contaminated functional gain measures resulted in a systematic underestimation of real ear insertion gain.
- Internal noise artifacts directly impact the validity of measured hearing aid performance.
- The study quantifies the underestimation caused by this specific noise source.
Implications:
- Accurate hearing aid fitting requires recognition and mitigation of internal noise contamination.
- Clinicians must be aware of this error source to ensure appropriate hearing aid selection and programming.
- Revised measurement techniques may be necessary to account for internal hearing aid noise.