Comparison of Hearing Threshold Level and Most Comfortable Loudness Level in Hearing Aid Prescription

1982 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth W. Berger ◽  
Eric N. Hagberg ◽  
Denise M. Varawas ◽  
Doreen M. Vottero
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Hearing Threshold ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
Loudness Level ◽  
Comfortable Loudness

scholarly journals International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids: Data From a Large Swedish Quality Register Database

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (3S) ◽  
pp. 443-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stig Arlinger ◽  
Peter Nordqvist ◽  
Marie Öberg
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Hearing Threshold ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Perceived Service Quality ◽  
Quality Register ◽  
First Time

Purpose The purpose of this study was to analyze a database of completed International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA) questionnaires obtained from over 100,000 clients fitted with new hearing aids in Sweden during the period of 2012–2016. Mean IOI-HA total scores were correlated with degree of hearing loss, unilateral versus bilateral fitting, first-time versus return clients, gender, and variation among dispensing clinics. The correlations with expectations, service quality, and technical functioning of the hearing aids were also analyzed. Method Questionnaires containing the 7 IOI-HA items as well as questions concerning some additional issues were mailed to clients 3–6 months after fitting of new hearing aids. The questionnaires were returned to and analyzed by an independent research institute. Results More than 100 dispensing clinics nationwide take part in this project. A response rate of 52.6% resulted in 106,631 data sets after excluding incomplete questionnaires. Forty-six percent of the responders were women, and 54% were men. The largest difference in mean score (0.66) was found for the IOI-HA item “use” between return clients and first-time users. Women reported significantly higher (better) scores for the item “impact on others” compared with men. The bilaterally fitted subgroup reported significantly higher scores for all 7 items compared with the unilaterally fitted subgroup. Experienced users produced higher scores on benefit and satisfaction items, whereas first-time users gave higher scores for residual problems. No correlation was found between mean IOI-HA total score and average hearing threshold level (pure-tone average [PTA]). Mean IOI-HA total scores were found to correlate significantly with perceived service quality of the dispensing center and with the technical functionality of the hearing aids. Conclusions When comparing mean IOI-HA total scores from different studies or between groups, differences with regard to hearing aid experience, gender, and unilateral versus bilateral fitting have to be considered. No correlation was found between mean IOI-HA total score and degree of hearing loss in terms of PTA. Thus, PTA is not a reliable predictor of benefit and satisfaction of hearing aid provision as represented by the IOI-HA items. Identification of a specific lower fence in PTA for hearing aid candidacy is therefore to be avoided. Large differences were found in mean IOI-HA total scores related to different dispensing centers.

Comfortable Loudness Level

1989 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 816-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn M. Cox
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Prediction Method ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Noise Band ◽  
Comfort Levels ◽  
Threshold Data ◽  
Fitting Procedures ◽  
Loudness Level ◽  
Comfortable Loudness

This paper reports the results of a series of investigations of comfortable loudness levels with particular reference to their application to hearing aid gain prescriptions. Experiment 1 studied the effects of several stimulus waveforms, bandwidths, and durations on comfortable loudness levels for normal and hearing impaired listeners. Speech band comfort levels were found to be significantly higher than equal-duration noise band or warble tone comfort levels. Comfortable loudness levels were found to be independent of warble tone modulation parameters and of stimulus bandwidth (stimuli did not exceed critical bandwidths). In Experiment 2, reliability of comfortable loudness levels was evaluated in hearing-impaired subjects over two consecutive 1-year periods. Results indicated that comfortable loudness levels were slightly less reliable than thresholds. In addition, the results were consistent with a hypothesis that exposure to amplified sound produces a small increase in comfortable loudness levels. In Experiment 3, data from 67 hearing-impaired subjects were used to develop regression equations for prediction of comfortable loudness levels. Thresholds at the test frequencies were combined with comfortable loudness data at 500 Hz and 4000 Hz. The prediction method was then evaluated using a new group of 25 subjects. Accuracy of predictions of comfort levels was substantially better with the new method than with an older method that relied exclusively on threshold data. Relevance of the outcomes to hearing aid fitting procedures is discussed.

scholarly journals Comparison of Preferred Real-Ear Insertion Gain between Open- and Closed-Canal Fitting Hearing Aids

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 180-186
Author(s):  
Hyeryeong Jo ◽  
Hyekyung Kong ◽  
Suyeon Shin ◽  
Mikyung Lee ◽  
Kwangjae Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Hearing Threshold ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
Group 4 ◽  
Speech Test ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Korean Type ◽  
Fitting Hearing Aids

Purpose: To calculate the real-ear insertion gain (REIG) according to the types of hearing aids, we evaluated the preferred REIGs of Korean hearing-impaired listeners and psychoacoustic differences between open-canal fitting (OF) and closed-canal fitting (CF).Methods: The subjects with sensorineural hearing loss were divided into OF group (4 monaural fittings, 15 binaural fittings with 34 ears), and CF group (8 monaural fittings, 13 binaural fittings with 34 ears). There were no statistical differences in hearing threshold level (HTL) at each octave frequencies, word recognition score (WRS) and Korean Adaptation of the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (K-IOI-HA) between the two groups. When there was no need for further electroacoustic adjustment of the hearing aid, sharpness and occlusion of amplified sound, clarity of sentence, and loudness of noise were evaluated based on the everyday experience. And REIGs with international speech test signal and WRS in sound-treated room were measured.Results: Preferred REIG for HTL was low for OF compared to CF in 0.5 kHz and 0.75 kHz at input SPL of 55 dB, 0.5 kHz at 60 dB SPL, 0.25 kHz and 0.5 kHz at 80 dB SPL. However, there were no differences in aided WRS and psychoacoustics between the two groups.Conclusion: In this study, the preferred REIG of OF and CF groups showed a difference under 0.75 kHz although there were no psychoacoustic differences between the two groups. Therefore, the results of this study should be considered when formulating Korean-type hearing aid fitting formula.

Dissimilarity Ratings of English Consonants by Normally-Hearing and Hearing-Impaired Individuals

1979 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey L. Danhauer ◽  
Ruth M. Lawarre
Keyword(s):  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Interval Scale ◽  
Individual Group ◽  
Speech Stimuli ◽  
Paired Stimuli ◽  
Loudness Level ◽  
Comfortable Loudness

Perceptual patterns in rating dissimilarities among 24 CVs were investigated for a group of normal-hearing and two groups of hearing-impaired subjects (one group with flat, and one group with sloping, sensorineural losses). Stimuli were presented binaurally at most comfortable loudness level and subjects rated the 576 paired stimuli on a 1–7 equal-appearing interval scale. Ratings were submitted to individual group and combined INDSCAL analyses to describe features used by the subjects in their perception of the speech stimuli. Results revealed features such as sibilant, sonorant, plosive and place. Furthermore, normal and hearing-impaired subjects used similar features, and subjects' weightings of features were relatively independent of their audiometric configurations. Results are compared to those of previous studies.

Effect of Adaptive Compression and Fast-Acting WDRC Strategies on Sentence Recognition in Noise in Mandarin-Speaking Pediatric Hearing Aid Users

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (04) ◽  
pp. 273-278
Author(s):  
Haihong Liu ◽  
Yuanhu Liu ◽  
Ying Li ◽  
Xin Jin ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Hearing Threshold ◽  
T Test ◽  
Sentence Recognition ◽  
Repeated Measures Design ◽  
Paired Samples ◽  
Adaptive Compression ◽  
Fast Acting

AbstractWide dynamic range compression (WDRC) has been widely used in hearing aid technology. However, several reports indicate that WDRC may improve audibility at the expense of speech intelligibility. As such, a modified amplification compression scheme, named adaptive compression, was developed. However, the effect of compression strategies on speech perception in pediatric hearing aid users has not been clearly reported.The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of adaptive compression and fast-acting WDRC processing strategies on sentence recognition in noise with Mandarin, pediatric hearing aid users.This study was set up using a double-blind, within-subject, repeated-measures design.Twenty-six children who spoke Mandarin Chinese as their primary language and had bilateral sensorineural hearing loss participated in the study.Sentence recognition in noise was evaluated in behind-the-ear technology with both adaptive compression processing and fast-acting WDRC processing and was selected randomly for each child. Percent correct sentence recognition in noise with fast-acting WDRC and adaptive compression was collected from each participant. Correlation analysis was performed to examine the effect of gender, age at assessment, and hearing threshold of the better ear on signal-to-noise ratio, and a paired-samples t test was employed to compare the performance of the adaptive compression strategy and fast-acting WDRC processing.The mean percentage correct of sentence recognition in noise with behind-the-ear technology with fast-acting WDRC and adaptive compression processing were 62.24% and 68.71%, respectively. The paired-samples t test showed that the performance of the adaptive compression strategy was significantly better than the fast-acting WDRC processing (t = 3.190, p = 0.004).Compared with the fast-acting WDRC, adaptive compression provided better sentence recognition in noise for Mandarin pediatric hearing aid users.

Magnitude Estimation of Loudness I Application to Hearing Aid Selection

1984 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Geller ◽  
Robert H. Margolis
Keyword(s):  
Magnitude Estimation ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Octave Band ◽  
Loudness Function ◽  
Comfortable Loudness ◽  
Tonal Stimuli

Three experiments were conducted to explore the utility of magnitude estimation of loudness for hearing aid selection. In Experiment 1 the loudness discomfort level (LDL), most comfortable loudness (MCL), and magnitude estimations (MEs) of loudness were obtained from normal-hearing subjects. MCLs fell within a range of loudnesses that was relatively low on the loudness function. The LDLs were lower than previously published values. Experiment 2 was performed to identify the source of disparity between our LDL data and previously reported results. The effects of instructions are demonstrated and discussed. In Experiment 3 magnitude estimations of loudness were used to determine the loudness of tonal stimuli selected to represent ⅓ octave band levels of speech. Over the 500–4000 Hz range, the contributions of the various frequency regions to the loudness of speech appears to be nearly constant. Methods are proposed for (a) predicting the frequency-gain response of a hearing aid that restores normal loudness for speech for the hearing-impaired listener and (b) psychophysically evaluating the compression characteristic of a hearing aid.

scholarly journals Functional dysacusis: The utilization of EEG activity in the determination of hearing threshold level, a case report

1973 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Hay
Keyword(s):  
Case Report ◽  
Hearing Threshold ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
Electric Response ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Eeg Activity ◽  
Cortical Responses ◽  
The Right ◽  
Response Testing

A case of functional dysacusis was subjected to routine as well as electric response testing. Test results were unreliable and electrical cortical responses to stimuli delivered to the right ear were so poor that the results could not be utilized. A marked difference between the raw EEG tracings was observed when stimuli were switched between left to right ears. This fact was eventually used to determine the hearing threshold level of the right ear.

Tone Decay and Hearing Threshold Level in Sensorineural Loss

1971 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-349
Author(s):  
Donald G. Doehring ◽  
Linda P. Swisher
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Threshold ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
Threshold Effects ◽  
Frequency Effects ◽  
Tone Decay ◽  
Retrocochlear Pathology ◽  
Sensorineural Loss

Tone decay was assessed by the Bekesy and modified Rosenberg procedures in audiological patients with sensorineural-type loss for whom there was no neurological evidence of retrocochlear pathology. Thirty-five subjects were tested at 500 Hz, 97 at 2000 Hz, and 92 at 4000 Hz. Tone decay tended to increase with increased hearing threshold level for both tests at all three frequencies, with low but significant correlations at two of the three frequencies for each test. There were no systematic differences between the Bekesy and modified Rosenberg procedures with regard to overall level, frequency effects, or hearing threshold effects. A low but significant correlation was obtained between the two procedures at all three frequencies.

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