title: Clinical study of Widex Senso on first-time hearing aid users.
abstract: Using psychoacoustic tests and questionnaires, the aim of this study was to clinically test Widex Senso (WS) versus analogue hearing aids on 200 first-time wearers. Half of the participants were selected at random for fitting with the behind-the-ear model (WS C8) or the in-the-canal model (WS CX). On a group basis, WS was found to provide more benefit than a palette of 29 analogue, modern hearing aid models from 10 manufacturers. Only 3 of 100 subjects changed from WS to another hearing aid. On average, the abbreviated profile of hearing aid benefit (APHAB) (Cox & Alexander, 1995) demonstrated superior performance for WS, i.e. no conflict existed between high comfort and high speech recognition. Median aided frequency-modulated tone thresholds in the sound field were better than 25 dB HL at frequencies up to 4 kHz inclusive. A distinct mean aided improvement of speech threshold in competing speech of 2.5 dB was found in both groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Audiology, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge University Hospital, Sweden. Erik.Berninger@aud.hs.sll.se
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Berninger
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Karlsson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006314:Hearing Loss, Conductive / Q000628:therapy; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology; D013069:Speech Reception Threshold Test / Q000295:instrumentation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors