An alternate method for determining functional gain of hearing aids.
The functional gain of a hearing aid typically is determined by comparing aided and unaided behavioral thresholds. With this method, however, true gain may be underestimated in frequency regions of normal or near-normal hearing sensitivity (i.e., in cases of sloping, rising, or trough-shaped audiograms). Internal hearing-aid noise and/or amplified room noise imposes a lower limit on obtainable aided thresholds. In these cases, comparing aided and unaided acoustic-reflex thresholds may be a valuable clinical alternative to traditional means of determining real-ear gain. This study compared sound-field behavioral threshold and acoustic-reflex threshold estimates of functional gain for individuals with a variety of audiometric configurations. The sound-field behavioral threshold measurements were found to underestimate functional gain if unaided thresholds approached the normal hearing range. In regions of greater hearing loss, behavioral and acoustic-reflex estimates of functional gain were in good agreement.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids / Q000592:standards*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012022:Reflex, Acoustic