title: Auditory profiling and hearing-aid satisfaction in hearing-aid candidates.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hearing-impaired (HI) listeners often complain about difficulties communicating in the presence of background noise, although audibility may be restored by a hearing-aid (HA). The audiogram typically forms the basis for HA fitting, i.e. people with similar audiograms are given the same prescription by default. This study aimed at identifying clinically relevant tests that may serve as an informative addition to the audiogram and which may relate more directly to HA satisfaction than the audiogram does.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 29 HI and 26 normal-hearing listeners performed tests of spectral and temporal resolution, binaural hearing, speech intelligibility in stationary and fluctuating noise and a working-memory test. Six weeks after HA fitting, the HI listeners answered a questionnaire evaluating HA treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No other measures than masking release between fluctuating and stationary noise correlated significantly with audibility. The HI listeners who obtained the least advantage from fluctuations in background noise in terms of speech intelligibility experienced greater HA satisfaction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HI listeners have difficulties in different hearing domains that are not predictable from their audiogram. Measures of temporal resolution or speech perception in both stationary and fluctuating noise could be relevant measures to consider in an extended auditory profile.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The study was supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The protocol was approved by the Science Ethics Committee of the Capital Region of Denmark (reference H-3-2013-004).
authors.affiliation: nicolinethorup13@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nicoline
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Thorup
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Santurette
authors.forename: Søren
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kjærbøl
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dau
authors.forename: Morten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Friis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology*; D006310:Hearing Aids; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D013065:Speech Intelligibility / Q000502:physiology*; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*