Acceptable noise level (ANL) measures a listener's reaction to background noise while listening to speech. Relations among hearing aid use and ANL, speech in noise (SPIN) scores, and listener characteristics (age, gender, pure-tone average) were investigated in 191 listeners with hearing impairment. Listeners were assigned to one of three groups based on patterns of hearing aid use: full-time u...

IntroductIon One of the cornerstones of hearing aid fitting is acoustic accuracy. Without control of the sound at the eardrum, there is a risk that hearing aid users are insufficiently or overly compensated for their hearing loss, and well-substantiated and optimised hearing aid signal processing features may lose power. Ultimately, deficient management of the acoustics may therefore negatively...

OBJECTIVE Hearing loss can significantly impair patient's quality of life, affecting communicative behavior, emotional and social function. This study assesses the impact of hearing aids on the quality of life of patients in a rural area and its correlation with socio-economic factors. MATERIALS-METHODS Thirty patients (18 male, 12 female), with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss of variabl...

Fifty initial consultations in government hearing aid clinics were audiotape recorded and analyzed to study the behavior of audiologists and clients in the initial stages of hearing aid rehabilitation. Consultations averaged 34 minutes and showed a four-stage clinical routine in which clients appeared largely passive. Hearing aid fitting was initiated in 48 (96%) consultations. The consultation...

Self-reports of subjective hearing difficulties by people with hearing loss may be a useful complement to audiometry in hearing aid rehabilitation. To be useful, such self-reports need to be reliable. This study investigated the reliability and the validity of the Swedish Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (Screening Version; HHIE-S). Sixty-nine participants completed a questionnaire be...

Hearing aids are one of the most widely used treatment options for the hearing impaired and optimal outcomes of hearing aids are supported by comprehensive hearing aid fitting protocols. Currently, the term 'hearing aid fitting' is prevalently used among service and industry sectors with its comprehensive procedures not systematically explicated. In addition, a variety of non-normalized guideli...

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of participant expectation on the outcome of a trial that compared two behind-the-ear hearing aids with identical electroacoustic performance, except that one was called a "new" hearing aid and the other a "conventional" hearing aid. DESIGN Twenty experienced adult hearing aid users were told that they were taking part in a trial...

This study reports the results of a large number of hearing-aid benefit measures obtained from 134 elderly hearing-aid wearers during the first year of hearing-aid usage. Benefit measures were obtained after 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year of hearing-aid use by all participants. In addition, follow-up measurements of hearing-aid benefit were performed on 49 of these same hearing-aid wearers follo...