Matching commercial hearing aids to prescriptive gain and maximum output requirements.
Insertion gain and saturation sound pressure level (SSPL) characteristics of 71 behind-the-ear hearing aids were evaluated in a computer-assisted analysis as acceptable matches to prescriptive insertion gain and SSPL values derived by a variation of the Prescription of Gain and Output, or POGO, technique (McCandless & Lyregaard, 1983). Stringency criteria in a primary analysis varied from +/- 6 to +/- 16 dB and +/- 2 to +/- 8 dB for gain and SSPL, respectively. Three audiometric contours and associated loudness discomfort levels were used in the simulation. Findings indicated that the relationship between tolerances and the number of aids selected as optimally appropriate varied substantially as a function of audiometric configuration. Minimum gain and SSPL tolerance values of +/- 12 dB and +/- 4 dB, respectively, were required to provide a reasonable choice of instruments for a variety of such configurations. Further analyses shed light on the feasibility of using alternative stringency criteria and on the clinical utility of hearing aid selection using small clinic samples.
D001299:Audiometry; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006310:Hearing Aids / Q000592:standards*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007256:Information Systems; D013063:Speech Discrimination Tests