Article

MarkeTrak VIII: Consumer satisfaction with hearing aids is slowly increasing

January 2010
The Hearing Journal 63(1):19-20,22,24,26,28,30-32

DOI:10.1097/01.HJ.0000366912.40173.76

Authors:

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SATISFACTION WITH THE USE OF HEARING AIDS IN EVERYDAY LIFE IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Article

Sep 2023

The aim of this work was to investigate the qualitative characteristics of hearing aid users (satisfaction with the use of hearing aids in everyday life) and to determine if there are any differences compared to published research in the literature. The sample of respondents consisted of 50 users of hearing aids, aged from 20 to 88 years. The sample was chosen by random selection from a previously selected sample of 398 hearing aid users. A special questionnaire was constructed for the research. The first part of the questionnaire consisted of variables: gender, age, type of hearing impairment, percentage of hearing loss, degree of hearing impairment, time of hearing aid use, and brand of hearing aid. The second part consisted of variables for the assessment of satisfaction with the use of hearing aids, that is, 15 statements to which respondents had to express their views on satisfaction with the use of hearing aids. This part of the questionnaire was carried out by surveying. The results showed that the majority of hearing aid users wear the hearing aid regularly, they benefit significantly from the hearing aid and it helps them in communication. They have no significant problems when using and handling the hearing aid. The variables gender, age, and time of hearing aid use had no statistically significant correlations with the applied set of variables (claims). Attitudes of hearing aid users can be an important factor in determining benefit and satisfaction with hearing aids.

Focusing on positive listening experiences improves hearing aid outcomes in experienced hearing aid users

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2023
Int J Audiol

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether focusing on positive listening experiences improves hearing aid outcomes in experienced hearing aid users. Design: The participants were randomised into a control or positive focus (PF) group. At the first laboratory visit, the Client-Oriented Scale of Improvement (COSI) questionnaire was administered followed by hearing aid fitting. The participants wore the hearing aids for three weeks. The PF group was asked to report their positive listening experiences via an app. During the third week, all the participants answered questionnaires related to hearing aid benefit and satisfaction. This was followed by the second laboratory visit where the COSI follow-up questionnaire was administered. Study sample: Ten participants were included in the control and eleven in the PF group. Results: Hearing aid outcome ratings were significantly better in the PF group in comparison to the control group. Further, COSI degree of change and the number of positive reports were positively correlated. Conclusions: These results point to the importance of asking hearing aid users to focus on positive listening experiences and talk about them. The potential outcome is increased hearing aid benefit and satisfaction which could lead to more consistent use of the devices.

Consumer Survey on Hearing Aid Benefit and Satisfaction

Article

Mar 2023
J SPEECH LANG HEAR R

Purpose: There is unexplained variability in self-reported hearing aid outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate determinants of hearing aid benefit and satisfaction ratings using a large-scale customer survey and to analyze the relation between demographic variables, hearing aid attributes, benefit, and satisfaction. Method: The study used a retrospective design wherein 2,109 hearing aid users, recruited by Hearing Tracker and Hearing Loss Association of America, completed an online survey. The survey included questions about demographics, perceived hearing loss, devices, service delivery, cost, benefit, and satisfaction. The analytic approach included descriptive summaries and regression models to evaluate potential determinants of hearing aid benefit and satisfaction ratings. Results: Hearing aid sound quality, fit and comfort, and battery life were related to both benefit and satisfaction. Respondents who rated these outcomes favorably were also likely to benefit from, and be satisfied with, their hearing aids. Benefit was also related to degree of hearing loss, hearing aid experience, and cost. Hearing aid users with greater self-perceived hearing loss, more hearing aid experience, and more expensive hearing aids reported more benefit. Satisfaction was also related to age, employment status, and brand. Younger respondents, those who were students, and those using certain brands reported more satisfaction. Conclusions: The results highlight importance of good hearing aid outcomes (quality, fit/comfort, and battery life) for benefit and satisfaction ratings. Professionals who fit hearing aids should strive to focus on achieving these outcomes and researchers should strive to explain the remaining variability in ratings of benefit and satisfaction. Supplemental material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22280854.

Factors Influencing Hearing Aid Satisfaction in South Korea

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study is three-fold: 1) to evaluate factors influencing hearing aid (HA) satisfaction; 2) to provide a profile of HA satisfaction in daily life; and 3) to examine the reasons why people gave up using HAs. Materials and methods: Data for 1148 respondents were statistically analyzed and reported. Results: In the study, age (β=-0.03, p<0.01), level of education (β=1.21, p<0.01), HA purchase price (β=1.50, p<0.01), bilateral amplification (β=1.23, p<0.01), wearing time (β=0.28, p<0.01), and HA fitting and fine tuning on a regular basis (β=1.71, p<0.01) significantly influenced HA satisfaction. In addition, the authors observed that the most satisfactory factors were clarity of sound (53.5%), people's trust in their HA (61.7%), and listening from a quiet environment (72.8%) in the domains of sound quality, HA features, and listening environments, respectively. Finally, with multiple choices being possible, 65% of the 40 respondents who no longer used HAs answered that their HAs ended up in a drawer since the background noise was annoying and distracting. Conclusion: This study is significant in that it is a large-scale multi-center research to comprehensively examine the factors influencing HA satisfaction in South Korea. This data will provide helpful information that could lead to the successful rehabilitation of hearing loss with HAs.

Perception of One’s Own Voice After Hearing-Aid Fitting for Naive Hearing-Aid Users and Hearing-Aid Refitting for Experienced Hearing-Aid Users

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2020

Dissatisfaction with the sound of one’s own voice is common among hearing-aid users. Little is known regarding how hearing impairment and hearing aids separately affect own-voice perception. This study examined own-voice perception and associated issues before and after a hearing-aid fitting for new hearing-aid users and refitting for experienced users to investigate whether it was possible to differentiate between the effect of (unaided) hearing impairment and hearing aids. Further aims were to investigate whether First-Time and Experienced users as well as users with dome and mold inserts differed in the severity of own-voice problems. The study had a cohort design with three groups: First-Time hearing-aid users going from unaided to aided hearing ( n = 70), Experienced hearing-aid users replacing their old hearing aids ( n = 70), and an unaided control group ( n = 70). The control group was surveyed once and the hearing-aid users twice; once before hearing-aid fitting/refitting and once after. The results demonstrated that own-voice problems are common among both First-Time and Experienced hearing-aid users with either dome- or mold-type fittings, while people with near-normal hearing and not using hearing aids report few problems. Hearing aids increased ratings of own-voice problems among First-Time users, particularly those with mold inserts. The results suggest that altered auditory feedback through unaided hearing impairment or through hearing aids is likely both to change own-voice perception and complicate regulation of vocal intensity, but hearing aids are the primary reason for poor perceived sound quality of one’s own voice.

Guidelines for Best Practice in the Audiological Management of Adults Using Bimodal Hearing Configurations

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2022

Clinics are treating a growing number of patients with greater amounts of residual hearing. These patients often benefit from a bimodal hearing configuration in which acoustic input from a hearing aid on 1 ear is combined with electrical stimulation from a cochlear implant on the other ear. The current guidelines aim to review the literature and provide best practice recommendations for the evaluation and treatment of individuals with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss who may benefit from bimodal hearing configurations. Specifically, the guidelines review: benefits of bimodal listening, preoperative and postoperative cochlear implant evaluation and programming, bimodal hearing aid fitting, contralateral routing of signal considerations, bimodal treatment for tinnitus, and aural rehabilitation recommendations.

Audiologist’s Perspective in Auditory Rehabilitation: Implications for Ethical Conduct and Decision-Making in Portugal

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2022

Ethical standards in audiology have been continuously improved and discussed, leading to the elaboration of specific regulatory guidelines for the profession. However, in the field of auditory rehabilitation, audiologists are still faced with circumstances that question their ethical principles, usually associated with the support of the hearing aids industry. The study explores the decision-making process and ethical concerns in auditory rehabilitation as they relate to the practice of audiology in Portugal. An online questionnaire constructed by the authors was used and sent to the email addresses of a list of audiologists, registered with the Portuguese Association of Audiologists. The questionnaire was answered by 93 audiologists with clinical experience in auditory rehabilitation for more than one year. The collected data demonstrated that audiometric results and clinical experience are the most important factors for decision-making in auditory rehabilitation practice. Moreover, incentives from the employers or manufacturers were identified as the main cause of ethical dilemmas. This study highlights the ethical concerns regarding the clinical practice of auditory rehabilitation in Portugal, revealing that the decision-making process is complex and, specifically in this field, the current practice may not be adequate for effective compliance with professional ethical standards.

High speed low area decimation filter for hearing aid application

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2022
Int J Speech Tech

With the development of more compact and powerful methods of designing a digital logic on a silicon chip, most of the signal processing is being implemented in the digital domain. The implementation of an efficient reconfigurable digital decimation filter is presented in the work. In this paper we focuses with the implementation and design of a decimation filter which is used for hearing aid applications. We design decimation filter with the help of the canonic signed digit (CSD) representation. In decimation filter the cascaded integrated comb filter is designed using without multiplier less. The half band and corrector filters are designed using CSD. The decimation filter has been implemented on Xilinx FPGA using Virtex-2 technology and number of slices ,number of LUTs and number of registers are reported and also proposed design is implemented in synopsis design compiler for ASIC implementation and calculated area, power and delay. The resulting architecture is hardware efficient and consumes less power compared to conventional decimation filters. Compared to the normal decimation filter architecture, the proposed decimation filter architecture has less hardware saving of 60% and in addition, it decreases the power consumption of 80%, respectively and the proposed architecture is well suited for decimation filters of the hearing aids.

Social representation of hearing loss and hearing aids

Conference Paper

May 2021

Abstract This study examined the social representation of hearing loss and hearing aids in people with hearing loss (PHL) in India, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom and the United States using Social Representation Theory. The study helps to understand collective view of PHL about hearing loss and hearing aids. The results will aid to develop culutrally appropriate public education campaigns, marketing material and appropriate rehabilitation for PHL with the aim to reduce delay in seeking help and improve hearing aid adoption. Summary Background and Objective: Despite the negative consequences of hearing loss, people with hearing loss (PHL) wait about 10 years before seeking professional help and adopt hearing aid. Much of the knowledge in hearing help-seeking and hearing aid adoption have used attitude theories and stigma theory. However, the strategies developed based on these theories have not resulted in any substantial improvements to help-seeking behavior. Thus, it is essential to consider alternative theories (e.g., Theory of Social Representations) which have been successfully used in disability research to better understand how PHL perceives hearing loss and hearing aids to improve help seeking ad hearing aid adoption. The aim of the current study was to examine the social representation of hearing loss and hearing aids in PHL in India, Republic of Korea (ROK), United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US). Social representation refers to values, practices, customs, ideas, and beliefs that are shared between individuals in a society or group. Design: The study used a cross-sectional survey design. 424 participants were recruited using a consecutive sampling method in four countries (India, ROK, UK and US). Data was collected using a free association task self-reported questionnaire and analyzed using qualitative (i.e., content analysis) and quantitative (similarities analysis, prototypical analysis, and Chi-square analysis) techniques. Results: The free associations of the PHL relating to hearing loss were grouped into 37 categories. The most commonly reported categories were ‘communication difficulties,’ ‘negative mental state,’ ‘ageing,’ ‘assessment and management,’ ‘causes of hearing loss,’ ‘hearing ability or disability,’ ‘hearing instruments,’ and ‘symptoms of hearing loss.’ Similarities analysis and prototypical analysis highlighted two main negative categories ‘negative mental state’ and ‘communication difficulties’ which form the central elements of social representation of hearing loss. PHL associated hearing loss mainly as a negative phenomenon but with some positive and neutral aspects. ROK respondents reported a greater number of neutral associations compared to other countries. In terms of the hearing aids, the free associations were grouped into 45 categories. The frequently reported categories across all countries were ‘beneficial,’ ‘cost and time’ and ‘appearance and design.’ Approximately 50% of the associations reported were negative. There were variations in terms of the categories that were predominant in the social representation of each country. ‘Others' actions and attitude’ category was predominantly reported by PHL in India. ‘Disturbance’ and ‘dissatisfaction’ of hearing aids and the ‘repairs and maintenance of hearing aids’ categories were mainly reported from the ROK and the US, respectively. Overall, there were cross cultural similarities and differences in PHL’s social representation of hearing loss and hearing aids, although more similarities than differences were noted. Conclusions: The study provides an insight into how PHL collectively view hearing loss and hearing aids. We believe that these findings will help to develop our understanding of the influence of culture on the social representation of hearing loss and hearing aids. The results will aid the development of culturally appropriate public education campaigns, marketing material and appropriate rehabilitation for PHL with the aim to improve help-seeking and hearing aid adoption.

Spatial sound quality evaluation in virtual acoustic scenarios with varying degrees of ecological validity

Conference Paper

Apr 2021

Background: Auditory perception of space plays an important role in our everyday lives. Hearing aid processing may affect the quality of the user’s spatial perception, which triggers an increasing interest of hearing aid professionals to assess spatial sound quality with and without hearing aids. However, it is currently an open question which aspects of spatial perception should be assessed to describe the perception of the acoustic scenario appropriately, and if these aspects can be assessed reliably enough in order to serve as benchmarks for hearing aid assessment and development. As a first step towards identifying such methods, this study explored two different ways to assess the spatial sound quality perceived by listeners in simulated, albeit realistic acoustic spatial scenarios. Materials and Methods: Five different talker compositions, each in two different room sizes (= 10 acoustic scenarios) were simulated using higher-order ambisonics recordings in a spherical multichannel loudspeaker array. The scenes differed in their degree of ecological validity. Eleven normal-hearing listeners rated distance to the talkers, reverberance, listening effort, room size, realism, and distributedness of the talkers on an ordinal scale using sliders within a graphical user interface. Furthermore, listeners were asked to place figurines in a miniature model of the room in the same way as they thought the acoustic scene was assembled with respect to distance and face orientation of the talkers. Results: Listeners were capable of making fairly reliable ratings using this procedure, as the test-retest Spearman rank correlation coefficient of 0.7 showed. Distance, reverberance and room size ratings were concise and rated similarly across listeners for each acoustic scenario, confirmed by loading strongly on the first component of a principal component analysis (PCA), explaining 55% of the variance. Distributedness of talkers was also concise, but loaded on a different component of the PCA and showed the highest effect size. Listening effort and realism ratings were less concise across listeners and were found anti-correlated. In the figurine task, listeners were able to reliably report the differences in lateral angle and distance of the talkers across the scenarios, but not their face orientation. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the feasibility to quantitatively assess important dimensions of spatial sound quality within realistic acoustic scenes with normal-hearing listeners. Further studies with hearing-impaired listeners and hearing aid users are necessary to assess if these methods can be used in the process of evaluating hearing aids.

Social Representation of Hearing Aids among People with Hearing Loss: An Exploratory Study

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2021

Objective: The aim of the current study was to examine the social representation (SR) of hearing aids in people with hearing loss (PHL) in India, the Republic of Korea (ROK), the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States of America (US). Design: The study used a cross-sectional survey design. The data collected by using a free association task were analysed qualitatively (i.e. content analysis) and quantitatively (i.e. chi-square analysis, similarities analysis, prototypical analysis). Study sample: 424 participants with hearing loss. Results: The most commonly reported categories across all countries were "beneficial," "cost and time," and "appearance and design." Approximately 50% of the associations reported were negative. There were variations in terms of the categories that were predominant in the SR of each country. "Others actions and attitude" category was predominantly reported by PHL in India. "Disturbance" and "dissatisfaction" of hearing aids and the "repairs and maintenance of hearing aids" categories were mainly reported from the ROK and the US, respectively. Conclusions: The current results highlight the main aspects that PHL report spontaneously when they think about hearing aids. The findings will help to further inform public health campaigns and will contribute to develop culturally appropriate media materials regarding hearing aids.

The Type of Noise Influences Quality Ratings for Noisy Speech in Hearing Aid Users

Article

Dec 2020

Purpose The overall goal of the current study was to determine whether noise type plays a role in perceptual quality ratings. We compared quality ratings using various noise types and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) ranges using hearing aid simulations to consider the effects of hearing aid processing features. Method Ten older adults with bilateral mild to moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss rated the sound quality of sentences processed through a hearing aid simulation and presented in the presence of five different noise types (six-talker babble, three-talker conversation, street traffic, kitchen, and fast-food restaurant) at four SNRs (3, 8, 12, and 20 dB). Results Everyday noise types differentially affected sound quality ratings even when presented at the same SNR: Kitchen and three-talker noises were rated significantly higher than restaurant, traffic, and multitalker babble, which were not different from each other. The effects of noise type were most pronounced at poorer SNRs. Conclusions The findings of this study showed that noise types differentially affected sound quality ratings. The differences we observed were consistent with the acoustic characteristics of the noise types. Noise types having lower envelope fluctuations yielded lower quality ratings than noise types characterized by sporadic high-intensity events at the same SNR.

Social Representation of "Hearing Loss" Among People with Hearing Loss: An Exploratory Cross-Cultural Study

Article

Aug 2020

Background Hearing loss can have an effect on the physical, psychosocial, and cognitive wellbeing of an individual. Despite the research on attitudes and stigma associated with hearing loss, people with hearing loss (PHL) continue to delay seeking help. Thus, it is vital to look at alternative theories which have been successfully used in disability research to better understand how PHL perceive hearing loss. Purpose The aim of the current exploratory study was to examine the social representation (SR) of “hearing loss” in PHL in India, Republic of Korea (ROK), United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US). Research Design The study used a cross-sectional survey design. Study Sample In this study, 424 participants were recruited using a consecutive sampling method in four countries (India, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom, and United States). Data Collection and Analysis Data collection was conducted using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using content analysis, similarities analysis, prototypical analysis, and chi-square analysis. Results The free associations of the PHL were grouped into 37 categories. The most commonly reported categories were communication difficulties, negative mental state, aging, assessment and management, causes of hearing loss, hearing ability or disability, hearing instruments, and symptoms of hearing loss. Similarities analysis and prototypical analysis highlighted two main negative categories (negative mental state and communication difficulties) which form the central elements of SR of hearing loss. PHL associated hearing loss mainly as a negative phenomenon, but with some positive and neutral aspects. Respondents from ROK reported a greater number of neutral associations compared with other countries. There were cross-cultural similarities and differences in terms of PHL's SR of hearing loss, but there were more similarities than differences. Conclusion The study provides an insight into how PHL collectively view their “hearing loss” and helps to develop our understanding of the influence of culture on the SR of “hearing loss.” The results will aid the development of culturally appropriate public education campaigns, marketing material, and appropriate rehabilitation for PHL.

Speech-in-Noise Testing: An Introduction for Audiologists

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2023

Speech-in-noise testing has been proposed as a useful part of the audiometric test battery dating back to the earliest years of the field of audiology. Many speech-in-noise tests have been developed and used to varying degrees. However, multiple barriers have prevented speech-in-noise testing from being used widely in the clinic. The purpose of this article is to provide a resource to audiologists and other hearing health professionals who want to know (1) what tests are available for use, (2) the rationale behind specific tests, and (3) important considerations when selecting one or more tests to use clinically. In addition, data are presented for four speech-in-noise tests with the purpose of comparing outcomes as a function of age and hearing status. The four tests (QuickSIN, Words in Noise [WIN], Listening in Spatialized Noise–Sentences [LiSN-S], and Coordinate Response Measure [CRM]) were completed by 30 individuals from three groups: 10 young adults with normal hearing, 10 older adults with normal hearing, and 10 older adults with hearing loss. The results suggest that, despite significant differences in performance between groups, group overlap was present such that some individuals from one group performed similar to some individuals of other groups; therefore, individual performance was more important than associated group. When selecting an appropriate speech-in-noise test to use clinically, audiologists should carefully consider the purpose of their testing and the type of information they desire as an outcome. A quick-resource table and appendix is provided to aid audiologists and other health professionals in their selection of an appropriate speech-in-noise test.

Adapting to New Hearing Aids and Hearing Aid Adjustments in Adult Danish Users

Article

Jul 2023
Am J Audiol

Purpose: This study was aimed at understanding the effect of time taken to adapt to the new hearing aids (HAs) and the timeline of HA adjustments performed over more than a year of rehabilitation on self-reported HA outcomes. Method: A self-report of the time it took to get accustomed to the new HAs and adjustment of the HAs during a year of rehabilitation collected from 690 HA users using a nonstandardized questionnaire were analyzed. The abbreviated version of the Speech, Spatial, and Quality of Hearing questionnaire and the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids were used as the self-reported HA outcome. Result: Out of 690 participants, 442 (64%) got accustomed to HAs within 2 months. Ninety-one participants (13%) did not get accustomed to the HAs at all, out of which 74 (81%) were first-time HA users. Eighty-four participants (12%) did not receive any HA adjustments after their initial fitting, and 49 (7%) had their HAs adjusted four or more times during the 1 year of rehabilitation. Three hundred ninety (57%) participants got their HA adjusted only at the 2-month follow-up visit, showing the intent to adjust given an opportunity. The stepwise multiple linear regression results showed the significant impact of getting accustomed to the HA and having HA adjusted at multiple instances on the self-reported HA outcomes. Conclusion: This study showed the importance of getting accustomed to the HA and having a minimal number of adjustments to have a better long-term self-reported HA outcome.

Wind Noise Reduction with a Diffusion-based Stochastic Regeneration Model

Preprint

Full-text available

Jun 2023

In this paper we present a method for single-channel wind noise reduction using our previously proposed diffusion-based stochastic regeneration model combining predictive and generative modelling. We introduce a non-additive speech in noise model to account for the non-linear deformation of the membrane caused by the wind flow and possible clipping. We show that our stochastic regeneration model outperforms other neural-network-based wind noise reduction methods as well as purely predictive and generative models, on a dataset using simulated and real-recorded wind noise. We further show that the proposed method generalizes well by testing on an unseen dataset with real-recorded wind noise. Audio samples, data generation scripts and code for the proposed methods can be found online (https://uhh.de/inf-sp-storm-wind).

Survey of Auditory Training Awareness for Hearing Professionals and Elderly Individuals Using Hearing Aids

Article

Apr 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the demand for auditory training provision and survey beneficiary experience.Methods: A total of 161 participants (80 hearing professionals and 81 elderly hearing aid users) were surveyed online or in-person. Both groups completed 26 questions related to their experience of providing or receiving auditory training, awareness of need, and preference.Results: The hearing professional group was strongly aware of the need to provide auditory training to improve communication problems in elderly individuals using hearing aids, and the absence of a systematic auditory training program was the biggest factor in not providing auditory training. The elderly hearing aid user group also recognized the need for auditory training to improve communication problems, but they responded that the hassle of visiting a clinic for training and lack of training time were factors that made participation in auditory training difficult.Conclusion: Hearing professionals should expand the scope of aural rehabilitation services to provide effective auditory training programs that fit the concept of rehabilitation, rather than simply providing hearing aid fitting management services to improve communication skills. Therefore, hearing professionals should conduct an intervention program after hearing aid fitting for elderly hearing aid users so that hearing rehabilitation can be comprehensively performed according to auditory and cognitive perceptual changes. In addition, efforts are required to solve limitations that make it difficult for elderly individuals who use hearing aids to participate in auditory training, such as the development of a web-based auditory training program.

Towards a practical methodology for assessment of the objective occlusion effect induced by earplugs

Article

Jun 2022

The occlusion effect (OE) occurs when the earcanal becomes occluded by an in-ear device, sometimes leading to discomforts experienced by the users due to the augmented perception of physiological noises, or to a distorted perception of one's own voice. The OE can be assessed objectively by measuring the amplification of the low-frequency sound pressure level (SPL) in the earcanal using in-ear microphones. However, as revealed by methodological discrepancies found in past studies, the measurement of this objective occlusion effect (OE obj ) is not standardized. With the goal of proposing a robust yet simple methodology adapted for field assessment, three experimental aspects are investigated: (i) stimulation source and the stimulus's characteristics to induce the phenomenon, (ii) measurement method of the SPL in earcanal, (iii) indicator to quantify the OE obj . To do so, OE obj is measured on human participants in laboratory conditions. Results obtained with a specific insert device suggest using the participant's own voice combined with simultaneous measurements of the SPLs based on the noise reduction method and using a single value indicator leads to a simple yet robust methodology to assess OE obj . Further research is necessary to validate the results with other devices and to generalize the methodology for field assessment.

Human Body Communication with Head-Mounted Wearable Devices

Chapter

Full-text available

Jan 2021

Speech recognition with a hearing-aid processing scheme combining beamforming with mask-informed speech enhancement

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2022

A signal processing approach combining beamforming with mask-informed speech enhancement was assessed by measuring sentence recognition in listeners with mild-to-moderate hearing impairment in adverse listening conditions that simulated the output of behind-the-ear hearing aids in a noisy classroom. Two types of beamforming were compared: binaural, with the two microphones of each aid treated as a single array, and bilateral, where independent left and right beamformers were derived. Binaural beamforming produces a narrower beam, maximising improvement in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), but eliminates the spatial diversity that is preserved in bilateral beamforming. Each beamformer type was optimised for the true target position and implemented with and without additional speech enhancement in which spectral features extracted from the beamformer output were passed to a deep neural network trained to identify time-frequency regions dominated by target speech. Additional conditions comprising binaural beamforming combined with speech enhancement implemented using Wiener filtering or modulation-domain Kalman filtering were tested in normally-hearing (NH) listeners. Both beamformer types gave substantial improvements relative to no processing, with significantly greater benefit for binaural beamforming. Performance with additional mask-informed enhancement was poorer than with beamforming alone, for both beamformer types and both listener groups. In NH listeners the addition of mask-informed enhancement produced significantly poorer performance than both other forms of enhancement, neither of which differed from the beamformer alone. In summary, the additional improvement in SNR provided by binaural beamforming appeared to outweigh loss of spatial information, while speech understanding was not further improved by the mask-informed enhancement method implemented here.

Factors Influencing Hearing Aid Adoption in Patients With Hearing Loss in Korea

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2022

Background: The purpose of this study was two-fold: 1) to identify differences in the characteristics of adopters and non-adopters of hearing aids (HAs); and 2) to investigate factors influencing the purchase of HA. Methods: This study was conducted among 1,464 subjects (818 male and 646 female) with hearing loss. A national face-to-face survey was performed from August 2019 to October 2020 by otologists or HA experts. The questionnaire consisted of three domains: demographic, audiological, and HA-related domains. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed after adjusting for degree of hearing loss. Results: The mean age of the participants was 70.4 ± 12.2 years. Of the 1,464 respondents, 1,190 (81.3%) had already purchased HA. We identified educational level, household income, hearing loss period, place of HA purchase, and government HA assistance program status as factors influencing HA adoption. Among these factors, third party reimbursement was the most important factor affecting HA purchase intent. The main reasons for not adopting HA were feeling that their hearing was adequate, inability to afford HA, and perceptions that HA are uncomfortable. Conclusion: Various factors are involved in the purchase of HA, but disabled registration status and third party reimbursement were identified as the most critical factors. In the future, the government should take a more active role in increasing the distribution of HA to patients with hearing loss.

Effectiveness of a Self-Fitting Tool for User-Driven Fitting of Hearing Aids

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2021
Int J Environ Res Publ Health

Hearing aids can be effective devices to compensate for age- or non-age-related hearing losses. Their overall adoption in the affected population is still low, especially in underdeveloped countries in the subpopulation experiencing milder hearing loss. One of the major reasons for low adoption is the need for repeated complex fitting by professional audiologists, which is often not completed for various reasons. As a result, self-fitting procedures have been appearing as an alternative. Key open questions with these digital tools are linked to their effectiveness, utilized algorithms, and achievable end-results. A digital self-fitting prototype tool with a novel quick four-step fitting workflow was evaluated in a study on 19 individuals with moderate hearing loss. The tool was evaluated in a double-blinded, randomized study, having two study aims: comparing traditional audiological fitting with the new self-fitting tool, which can also be used as a remote tool. The main reported results show moderately high usability and user satisfaction obtained during self-fitting, and quasi-equivalence of the performance of the classical audiological fitting approach. The digital self-fitting tool enables multiple sessions and easy re-fitting, with the potential to outperform the classical fitting approach.

Creating Clarity in Noisy Environments by Using Deep Learning in Hearing Aids

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2021

Hearing aids continue to acquire increasingly sophisticated sound-processing features beyond basic amplification. On the one hand, these have the potential to add user benefit and allow for personalization. On the other hand, if such features are to benefit according to their potential, they require clinicians to be acquainted with both the underlying technologies and the specific fitting handles made available by the individual hearing aid manufacturers. Ensuring benefit from hearing aids in typical daily listening environments requires that the hearing aids handle sounds that interfere with communication, generically referred to as “noise.” With this aim, considerable efforts from both academia and industry have led to increasingly advanced algorithms that handle noise, typically using the principles of directional processing and postfiltering. This article provides an overview of the techniques used for noise reduction in modern hearing aids. First, classical techniques are covered as they are used in modern hearing aids. The discussion then shifts to how deep learning, a subfield of artificial intelligence, provides a radically different way of solving the noise problem. Finally, the results of several experiments are used to showcase the benefits of recent algorithmic advances in terms of signal-to-noise ratio, speech intelligibility, selective attention, and listening effort.

Wind Noise Management in Hearing Aids

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2021

Petri Korhonen

Many hearing aid users are negatively impacted by wind noise when spending time outdoors. Turbulent airflow around hearing aid microphones caused by the obstruction of wind can result in noise that is not only perceived as annoying but may also mask desirable sounds in the listening environment, such as speech. To mitigate the adverse effects of wind noise, hearing aid developers have introduced several technological solutions to reduce the amount of wind noise at the hearing aid output. Some solutions are based on mechanical modifications; more recently, sophisticated signal processing algorithms have also been introduced. By offering solutions to the wind noise problem, these signal processing algorithms can promote more optimal use of hearing aids during outdoor activities. This article reviews how wind noise is generated in hearing aids, outlines the technological challenges in wind noise management, and summarizes the technological solutions that have been proposed and/or implemented in modern hearing aids.

Orienting Auditory Attention through Vision: the Impact of Monaural Listening

Article

Aug 2021

The understanding of linguistic messages can be made extremely complex by the simultaneous presence of interfering sounds, especially when they are also linguistic in nature. In two experiments, we tested if visual cues directing attention to spatial or temporal components of speech in noise can improve its identification. The hearing-in-noise task required identification of a five-digit sequence (target) embedded in a stream of time-reversed speech. Using a custom-built device located in front of the participant, we delivered visual cues to orient attention to the location of target sounds and/or their temporal window. In Exp. 1 ( ), we validated this visual-to-auditory cueing method in normal-hearing listeners, tested under typical binaural listening conditions. In Exp. 2 ( ), we assessed the efficacy of the same visual cues in normal-hearing listeners wearing a monaural ear plug, to study the effects of simulated monaural and conductive hearing loss on visual-to-auditory attention orienting. While Exp. 1 revealed a benefit of both spatial and temporal visual cues for hearing in noise, Exp. 2 showed that only the temporal visual cues remained effective during monaural listening. These findings indicate that when the acoustic experience is altered, visual-to-auditory attention orienting is more robust for temporal compared to spatial attributes of the auditory stimuli. These findings have implications for the relation between spatial and temporal attributes of sound objects, and when planning devices to orient audiovisual attention for subjects suffering from hearing loss.

Principle of an acoustical method for estimating the centroid position of the earcanal wall normal velocity induced by bone-conducted stimulation: Numerical evaluation

Article

Jun 2021
APPL ACOUST

The occlusion effect is commonly experienced as the altered perception of one’s own physiological noise when the earcanal entrance is blocked. Objectively, this phenomenon corresponds to an acoustic pressure increase in the occluded earcanal. The occlusion effect originates from the earcanal wall normal vibration and depends on the spatial distribution of the latter. At low frequencies, this spatial distribution can be characterized by the position of its centroid along the earcanal middle axis. This paper describes the principle of an acoustical method for estimating this centroid position at low frequencies. The proposed method consists in measuring the eardrum acoustic pressure transfer function between the earcanal open and occluded by an external capped duct coupled to the earcanal entrance of a subject submitted to a bone-conducted stimulation. The centroid position is then estimated at the antiresonance frequency of the coupled system using an associated electro-acoustic model. The proposed method is evaluated and investigated numerically using a 3D finite element model of an outer ear. The sensitivity of the method is shown to increase with frequency. To maximize the method accuracy, the radius of the coupling duct must be as large as possible (in the limits of the earcanal entrance dimension) and any incomplete seal between the duct and the earcanal entrance must be avoided. Also, the coupling position of the duct and its temperature must be known as precisely as possible. On the contrary, the proposed method does not require the knowledge of the eardrum acoustic impedance.

Does the Speech Cue Profile Affect Response to Amplitude Envelope Distortion?

Article

May 2021
J SPEECH LANG HEAR R

Purpose A broad area of interest to our group is to understand the consequences of the “cue profile” (a measure of how well a listener can utilize audible temporal and/or spectral cues for listening scenarios in which a subset of cues is distorted. The study goal was to determine if listeners whose cue profile indicated that they primarily used temporal cues for recognition would respond differently to speech-envelope distortion than listeners who utilized both spectral and temporal cues. Method Twenty-five adults with sensorineural hearing loss participated in the study. The listener's cue profile was measured by analyzing identification patterns for a set of synthetic syllables in which envelope rise time and formant transitions were varied. A linear discriminant analysis quantified the relative contributions of spectral and temporal cues to identification patterns. Low-context sentences in noise were processed with time compression, wide-dynamic range compression, or a combination of time compression and wide-dynamic range compression to create a range of speech-envelope distortions. An acoustic metric, a modified version of the Spectral Correlation Index, was calculated to quantify envelope distortion. Results A binomial generalized linear mixed-effects model indicated that envelope distortion, the cue profile, the interaction between envelope distortion and the cue profile, and the pure-tone average were significant predictors of sentence recognition. Conclusions The listeners with good perception of spectro-temporal contrasts were more resilient to the detrimental effects of envelope compression than listeners who used temporal cues to a greater extent. The cue profile may provide information about individual listening that can direct choice of hearing aid parameters, especially those parameters that affect the speech envelope.

Robust parameter design for Wiener-based binaural noise reduction methods in hearing aids

Preprint

Apr 2021

This work presents a method for designing the weighting parameter required by Wiener-based binaural noise reduction methods. This parameter establishes the desired tradeoff between noise reduction and binaural cue preservation in hearing aid applications. The proposed strategy was specially derived for the preservation of interaural level difference, interaural time difference and interaural coherence binaural cues. It is defined as a function of the average input noise power at the microphones, providing robustness against the influence of joint changes in noise and speech power (Lombard effect), as well as to signal to noise ratio (SNR) variations. A theoretical framework, based on the mathematical definition of the homogeneity degree, is presented and applied to a generic augmented Wiener-based cost function. The theoretical insights obtained are supported bycomputational simulations and psychoacoustic experiments using the multichannel Wiener filter with interaural transfer function preservation technique (MWF-ITF), as a case study. Statistical analysis indicates that the proposed dynamic structure for the weighting parameter and the design method of its fixed part provide significant robustness against changes in the original binaural cues of both speech and residual noise, at the cost of a small decrease in the noise reduction performance, as compared to the use of a purely fixed weighting parameter.

Compare the Level of Satisfaction Among Smart Phone and Traditional Hearing Aids Users

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2019

A Noise-Reduction Method With Coherence Enhancement for Binaural Hearing Aids

Article

Jan 2020

In this work, a variation of the multichannel Wiener filter (MWF) for noise reduction in binaural hearing aid applications is proposed. This method provides improved spatial preservation for acoustic scenarios comprised of one single-point target (speech) and one single-point interfering (noise) acoustic sources. It employs a regularization penalty term based on the inverse of the magnitude of the interaural coherence (IC), with the aim of enhancing the original azimuth perception of the interferent source. The proposed penalty term artificially intensifies the IC of the residual interference, increasing similarity in both ears. This is of special value for low-coherent reverberant acoustic signals, in which the reliability of the received binaural cues associated to the single-point interferent source was degraded by multiple acoustic reflections. Simulation results obtained with objective criteria show that, in addition of providing improved spatial preservation for the interferent source, the proposed approach may also provide higher noise reduction performance as compared to the conventional MWF approach. Further, it also yields an extended range for the target and interference spatial-preservation trade-off, as compared to a previously developed competing method. Psychoacoustic experiments with normal hearing volunteers corroborate theoretical and simulation findings.

Investigating the prevalence and impact of device-related problems associated with hearing aid use

Article

Feb 2020

Objective: To explore the prevalence of device-related problems associated with hearing aid use, participants’ help-seeking behaviours for these problems, and factors associated with hearing aid problems. Design: A prospective convenience cohort design surveying 413 adult hearing aid users (34–97 years of age) recruited from seven clinics across Australia. Results: Almost all participants (98%) indicated that they were experiencing at least one of the hearing aid problems included on the survey. The number of hearing aid related problems reported by participants ranged from 0 to 25 (of a possible 26), with a mean of 10 problems (SD = 5). The three most reported problems were related to difficulty hearing in noisy environments, hearing in windy environments, and understanding certain voices. Participants had reported less than half (46.33%) of the total problems identified to their clinic (range = 0–100%, mean = 43.40, SD = 13.92). Participants who reported experiencing a greater number of hearing aid problems also reported lower levels of hearing aid benefit, and satisfaction with their hearing aids. Conclusions: The majority of hearing aid owners experience problems with their hearing aids. Addressing these problems would likely contribute to improved hearing aid outcomes.

Emerging Technologies, Market Segments, and MarkeTrak 10 Insights in Hearing Health Technology

Article

Feb 2020

Brent Edwards

Hearing health care is rapidly changing through innovation in technology, services, business models, and product categories. The introduction of hearables and over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids in particular will change the market for hearing help and the role of the hearing care professionals (HCPs). This article focuses on how these products will be differentiated from HCP-fit hearing aids through their ability to address the unmet needs of different consumer segments within the population of people with hearing dysfunction. The unmet hearing needs of each segment are discussed, and the size of each segment estimated, demonstrating a large potential market for hearables and a smaller potential market for hearing aids than has been previously mentioned in the literature. The results from MarkeTrak 10's survey of consumers' attitudes toward an OTC model are reviewed, showing that approximately half of both hearing aid owners and nonowners are uncomfortable doing hearing- and hearing aid–related tasks on their own without the assistance of an HCP and would be unlikely to purchase OTC hearing aids if available today. MarkeTrak data are also shown that demonstrate that the majority of hearing aid and personal sound amplification product owners believe that the HCP helped or would have helped with their hearing devices. Finally, challenges to OTC hearing aids becoming successful are discussed.

Direct-to-consumer hearing devices: a need to combine cosmetic appeal with device capabilities

Research

Jul 2019

https://www.entandaudiologynews.com/features/audiology-features/post/direct-to-consumer-hearing-devices-a-need-to-combine-cosmetic-appeal-with-device-capabilities

Modified Multiple Stimulus With Hidden Reference and Anchors–Gabrielsson Total Impression Sound Quality Rating Comparisons for Speech in Quiet, Noise, and Reverberation

Article

Aug 2023

Purpose The purpose of the study was to obtain, analyze, and compare subjective sound quality data for the same test stimuli using modified multistimulus MUSHRA (Multiple Stimulus with Hidden Reference and Anchors) based procedures (viz., MUSHRA with custom anchors and MUSHRA without anchor) and the single-stimulus Gabrielsson's total impression rating procedure. Method Twenty normally hearing young adults were recruited in this study. Participants completed sound quality ratings on two different hearing aid recording data sets—Data Set A contained speech recordings from four different hearing aids under a variety of noisy and processing conditions, and Data Set B contained speech recordings from a single hearing aid under a combination of different noisy, reverberant, and signal processing conditions. Recordings in both data sets were rated for their quality using the total impression rating procedure. In addition, quality ratings of Data Set A recordings were obtained using a MUSHRA with custom anchors, while the ratings of Data Set B recordings were collected using a MUSHRA without anchor. Results Statistical analyses revealed a high test–retest reliability of quality ratings for the same stimuli that were rated multiple times. In addition, high-interrater reliability was observed with all three rating procedures. Further analyses indicated (a) a high correlation between the total impression rating and the two modified MUSHRA ratings and (b) a similar relationship between the average and standard deviation of the subjective rating data obtained by the total impression rating and MUSHRA with custom anchors on Data Set A, and the total impression rating and the MUSHRA without anchor on Data Set B. Conclusion Both sound quality procedures, namely, the MUSHRA-based procedures and the total impression rating scale, obtained similar quality ratings of varied hearing aid speech recordings with high reliability.

Predicting and Explaining Hearing Aid Usage Using Encoder-Decoder with Attention Mechanism and SHAP

Conference Paper

Oct 2022

Reported Hearing Outcome Measures Following Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Vestibular Schwannoma: A Scoping Review

Article

Jan 2023

Background Evidence on hearing outcome measures when assessing hearing preservation following stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for adults with vestibular schwannoma (VS) has not previously been collated in a structured review. Objective The objective of the present study was to perform a scoping review of the evidence regarding the choice of hearing outcomes and other methodological characteristics following SRS for adults with VS. Methods The protocol was registered in the International Platform of Registered Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (INPLASY) and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses extension guidelines for scoping reviews. A systematic search of five online databases revealed 1,591 studies, 247 of which met the inclusion criteria. Results The majority of studies (n = 213, 86%) were retrospective cohort or case series with the remainder (n = 34, 14%) prospective cohort. Pure-tone audiometry and speech intelligibility were included in 222 (90%) and 158 (64%) studies, respectively, often summarized within a classification scheme and lacking procedural details. Fifty-nine (24%) studies included self-report measures. The median duration of follow-up, when reported, was 43 months (interquartile range: 29, 4–150). Conclusion Evidence on hearing disability after SRS for VS is based on low-quality studies which are inherently susceptible to bias. This review has highlighted an urgent need for a randomized controlled trial assessing hearing outcomes in patients with VS managed with radiosurgery or radiological observation. Similarly, consensus and coproduction of a core outcome set to determine relevant hearing and communication outcome domains is required. This will ensure that patient priorities, including communication abilities in the presence of background noise and reduced participation restrictions, are addressed.

Assistive Technology for Adults with Hearing Aids

Article

May 2022

Samuel Atcherson

Although there is a strong trend of satisfaction with hearing aids, recent consumer surveys indicate that there are still challenges with understanding speech in background noise and low penetration of wireless technologies using many modern-day communication and audio devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and computers. For some listening and communication settings, many patients could benefit from assistive technology that exceeds the capabilities of their hearing aids. When patients are not wearing their hearing aids, such as during sleep, concerns about environmental awareness and safety begin to arise. This article describes some current assistive technologies and accessories that facilitate accessibility to other devices and to satisfy the patient's listening and communication needs.

Robust parameter strategy for Wiener-based binaural noise reduction methods in hearing aids

Article

Apr 2022
BIOMED SIGNAL PROCES

This work presents a method for designing the weighting parameter required for Wiener-based binaural noise reduction methods. This parameter establishes the desired trade-off between noise reduction and binaural cue preservation in hearing aids. The proposed strategy was specially derived for the preservation of the interaural level difference, interaural time difference and interaural coherence binaural cues. It is defined as a function of the average input noise power at the microphones, providing robustness against the influence of joint changes in noise and speech power (Lombard effect), as well as signal-to-noise ratio variations. A theoretical framework based on the mathematical definition of the degree of homogeneity is presented and applied to a generic augmented Wiener-based cost function. The theoretical insights obtained are supported by computational simulations and psychoacoustic experiments using the multichannel Wiener filter with a noise interaural transfer function preservation technique (MWF-ITFv), as a case study. Statistical analysis indicates that, compared to a purely fixed weighting parameter, the proposed structure for the weighting parameter and the design method of its fixed part provide significant robustness against changes in the noise binaural cues at the cost of a small noise reduction performance decrease and speech binaural cue distortion.

Der Einfluss von Tinnitus auf das Sprachverstehen bei Hörgeräteträgern

Thesis

Jan 2021

C. Dörfler

Ob ein schwerhöriger Patient mit seiner Hörgeräteversorgung ein zufriedenstellendes Ergebnis erzielt, hängt primär nicht von dem Hersteller und dem Alter einer Hörgeräteversorgung ab. Des Weiteren ist es für die Verbesserung in den Sprachverständlichkeitstests nicht von signifikantem Nachteile an einem Tinitus erkrankt zu sein. Wie schon Kollmeier 2011 untersuchte, zeigt sich auch bei dieser Studie ein signifikanter Zusammenhang zwischen der Verbesserung im Göttinger Satztest und der Verbesserung im Freiburger Einsilbertest. Bezogen auf die in der Hilfsmittelrichtlinie genannten Forderungen fällt auf, dass das Ziel der Verbesserung im Göttinger Satztest deutlich häufiger erreicht wurde als im Freiburger Einsilbertest. Zu diskutieren bleibt, ob sich der Göttinger Satztest für die Begutachtung geringgradiger Schwerhöriger mit Hörproblemen im Sprachverstehen im Störgeräusch aufgrund der erzielten Ergebnisse besser eignet.

Occlusion Effect Cancellation in Headphones and Hearing Devices - The Sister of Active Noise Cancellation

Article

Nov 2021

The perception of one’s own voice influences the acceptance of hearing devices, such as headphones, headsets or hearing aids. When these devices fully or partially occlude the ear canal, the wearer’s own voice sounds boomy or like talking in a barrel. This is called occlusion effect . Occluding the ear canal results in an amplification of body-conducted sounds, mainly at low frequencies, and an attenuation of air-conducted sounds, predominantly at high frequencies, compared to the open ear. This contribution provides a comprehensive treatment of Occlusion Effect Cancellation (OEC) and its relation to Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) using digital signal processing. A novel effective filter structure is presented which offers some degree of adaptability and adjustability. Furthermore, digitally opening and closing the ear is evaluated by listening tests and objective measurements.

Disposable Hearing Aid Battery Management: Survey Assessment of Providers and Qualitative Interviews of Patients

Article

Aug 2021

Purpose The purpose of this study was to better understand the behaviors that hearing aid users engage in to manage batteries. Method Two arms of research, a survey of audiologists ( n = 110) and qualitative interviews with adult hearing aid users ( n = 13), were conducted. Surveys were distributed and collected both via paper and online methods. Descriptive analyses of survey results were conducted to report on common threads. Qualitative interviews were conducted with video recording for transcription purposes. These transcripts were then coded thematically to identify shared themes across participants. Results Results of this study highlight the variability in behavior between provider-recommended strategies (preemptive battery management) and the reactive/delay strategies that are implemented by users. Patient reports indicate several challenges related to changing their batteries including limited information on hearing aid batteries, physical/sensory challenges to the act, and the social impact of having to change hearing aid batteries. Concurrently, patients express a wide range of strategies to address other challenges including engaging in cost-conscious behaviors when managing batteries (both purchasing and deciding to replace) and maintaining a collection of easily accessible batteries for use. Conclusions Hearing aid batteries are a topic that reflect social and economic factors in a patient's life. While providers may report they cover these topics sufficiently, challenges related to batteries may need specific elucidation by the clinician to ensure adherence to recommendations and functioning devices.

Transmission Analysis in Human Body Communication for Head-Mounted Wearable Devices

Article

Full-text available

May 2021

As society ages, wireless body area networks (WBANs) are expected to increasingly improve the quality of life of the elderly and disabled. One promising WBAN technology is human body communication (HBC), which utilizes part of the human body as a transmission medium. Communication between head-mounted wearable devices, such as hearing aids, is a potential HBC application. To clarify the HBC transmission mechanism between head-mounted wearable devices, this study analyzes the input impedance characteristics of the transceiver electrodes, transmission characteristics, and electric field distributions around and through a detailed head model. The investigation was performed via an electromagnetic field simulation. The signal frequency had less effect on the transmission characteristics and electric field distributions at 10, 20, and 30 MHz. However, the transmission mechanism between the head-mounted wearable devices was influenced by the number of electrodes in the transceiver. Moreover, the transmission characteristics between two-electrode transceivers were improved by impedance matching. Finally, the availability of the proposed system was evaluated from power consumption and human safety perspectives.

Improved spatialization performance for joint speech dereverberation and noise reduction in binaural hearing aids

Article

Jul 2021
BIOMED SIGNAL PROCES

Objective In this work we propose a unified solution for joint speech dereverberation, noise reduction and spatial preservation of either diffuse noise fields or single-point noise sources in binaural hearing aid applications, which is based on the multichannel Wiener filter (MWF) with preservation of the interaural coherence (MWF-IC) method. Methods The original interaural coherence (IC) auxiliary penalty cost function in the MWF-IC, which comprises information about both interfering noise and late reverberation component, is modified to consider the interference noise information only. It provides a new regularization form for preserving both interaural time difference (ITD) and IC binaural cues of the residual noise. This approach is theoretically supported by recent findings about the relationship between IC and ITD binaural cues for point acoustic sources. Results Extensive simulation results with objective measures, as well as psychoacoustic experiments with normal hearing volunteers indicate that the proposed method outperforms the preservation of spatial localization cues of its original version, keeping approximately the same performance in terms of noise-reduction and speech-dereverberation. Conclusion The proposed scheme expands the MWF-IC original spatial cue preservation capability from only diffuse noise fields to either diffuse noise fields or a single-point noise source. Significance This is the first MWF-based speech dereverberation and noise reduction method for binaural hearing aid that provides perceptually relevant preservation of acoustic scenarios comprised of one speech source and either a single-point noise source or a diffuse noise field.

Implementation of a fully implantable middle-ear hearing device chip

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2021

Background and objective: Recently, with the increase in the population of hearing impaired people, various types of hearing aids have been rapidly developed. In particular, a fully implantable middle ear hearing device (F-IMEHD) is developed for people with sensorineural hearing loss. The F-IMEHD system comprises an implantable microphone, a transducer, and a signal processor. The signal processor should have a small size and consume less power for implantation in a human body. Methods: In this study, we designed and fabricated a signal-processing chip using the modified FFT algorithm. This algorithm was developed focusing on eliminating time delay and system complexity in the transform process. The designed signal-processing chip comprises a 4-channel WDRC, a fitting memory, a communication 1control part, and a pulse density modulator. Each channel is separated using a 64-point fast Fourier transform (FFT) method and the gain value is matched using the fitting table in the fitting memory. Results and conclusion: The chip was designed by Verilog-HDL and the designed HDL codes were verified by Modelsim-PE 10.3 (Mentor graphics, USA). The chip was fabricated using a 0.18 μm CMOS process (SMIC, China). Experiments were performed on a cadaver to verify the performance of the fabricated chip.

Development of Korean Version of Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit-Quick Version

Article

Jun 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop the Korean version of profile of hearing aid benefit-quick version (K-PHAB-Q) which shortens 20 questions of K-PHAB into 10 for efficient evaluation of hearing aids benefit. Methods: First, responses for the questionnaires were collected from 140 hearing aid users (average age: 67.39). K-PHAB-Q consists of ease of communication (EC), background noise (BN), reverberation (RV), aversiveness of sounds (AV) and localization (LC), and was verified through factor analysis, principal component analysis, and Cronbach’s alpha analysis for a total of 10 selected items. Second, the K-PHAB-Q questionnaire was collected by test-retesting for a total of 40 hearing aid users (average age: 71.98). The collected questionnaires were verified by paired t -test and Pearson correlation coefficient, and the 95% prediction interval (PI) was calculated to establish the standard of change in subjective satisfaction on hearing aid users. Results: The results of this study were 1) according to Cronbach’s alpha analysis of K-PHAB-Q, the internal consistency of all items was high as 0.854, 2) test-retest result of K-PHAB-Q showed no significant difference (r > 0.05) and showed high correlation in all items, 3) The 95% PI of EC, BN, RV, AV, and LC showed ± 16.823, ± 17.734, ± 12.123, ± 14.404, and ± 8.193 respectively. Conclusion: K-PHAB-Q, will be useful for hearing aid verification or validation at hearing aid fitting management sites in a short time.

Effectiveness of Wireless Streaming on Telephone Conversation in Users of Hearing Aids

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2020

Background and Objectives The purpose of this study was to figure out the clinical effectiveness of the bluetooth wireless streaming when used with a hearing aid during cell phone conversation for hearing-impaired listeners.Subjects and Method Twenty-four adults with hearing loss participated (mild: 3, moderate: 13, moderately severe: 8) in the study. The following three objective tests and one subjective questionnaire were administered to all participants; 1) consonant and Monosyllabic test in an noisy environment, 2) speech recognition test in quiet and noisy conditions, 3) listening effort test, and 4) questionnaire about sound quality and preference. Each objective test was conducted in three different cell phone conversation environments as follows; 1) unaided condition, 2) aided condition, with the bluetooth function off, and 3) aided condition, with the bluetooth function on.Results In the aided condition with the bluetooth function off, performance on consonant and monosyllabic tests was the lowest ( p ＜0.05). However, when the bluetooth function was turned on, the result showed statistically significant superior performance ( p ＜0.05). For the words and sentences test in noisy conditions, using wireless streaming feature with the hearing aids were beneficial compared to not using the feature ( p ＜0.05). However, no significant difference was found between the bluetooth off and on conditions in quiet conditions. Listening effort was significantly lower in noisy background for aided bluetooth on condition ( p ＜0.05). There was no significant difference in sound quality according to each condition, but the preference of Bluetooth feature was overwhelmingly high.Conclusion Bluetooth wireless streaming is beneficial during phone conversation in noisy environments for users of hearing aids.

A Smart Binaural Hearing Aid Architecture Leveraging a Smartphone APP With Deep-Learning Speech Enhancement

Article

Full-text available

Mar 2020

This paper presents a smartphone-based binaural hearing aid architecture for improving the speech intelligibility of hearing aid users. The proposed system consists of an earpiece, a smartphone and an application that performs real-time speech enhancement. The speaker’s voice, which is picked up by the microphone of the earpiece that is worn on the ear, is transmitted to the smartphone via wireless technology. After the speech intelligibility is improved in real time by the deep learning speech enhancement application, it is returned to the earpiece and generates sound. Deep learning speech enhancement algorithms can be used without performing burdensome calculations on the processors in the hearing aid. The results showed that the average usage of the central processing unit in the smartphone was approximately 26%, and the signal-to-noise ratios improve by at least 20%. The presented objective and subjective results show that the proposed method achieves comparatively more noise suppression without distorting the audio.

Self‐Perceived Hearing Status Creates an Unrealized Barrier to Hearing Healthcare Utilization

Article

Mar 2020

Objective: To examine sociodemographic and audiometric factors associated with hearing aid (HA) uptake in adults with hearing loss (HL), and to investigate the role of self-perceived hearing status on pursuit of hearing treatment. The relationship between self-perceived hearing status and HA adoption has not been reported in a nationally representative sample of United States (US) adults. Study design: Cross-sectional analysis of nationwide household health survey. Methods: Audiometric and questionnaire data from the 2005 to 2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cycles were used to examine trends in untreated HL and HA adoption in US adults. Adjusted odds ratios for HA adoption were calculated for individuals with measured HL. Results: Of 5230 respondents, 26.1% had measurable HL, of which only 16.0% correctly self-identified their hearing status, and only 17.7% used an HA. Age, higher education, severe hearing impairments, and recent hearing evaluations, were positively associated with HA adoption. Conclusion: Hearing loss is a global public health concern placing significant economic burden on both the individual and society. Self-reported hearing status is not a reliable indicator for HL, and measured HL is not correlated with increased rates of treatment. Recent hearing evaluation is positively associated with increased rates of treatment. Routine hearing assessment will help to better identify those with HL and improve access to hearing treatment. Level of evidence: III Laryngoscope, 2020.

A Study of Korean Hearing Aid Satisfaction Survey Based on MarkeTrak VIII

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2020

Purpose: The aim of this study was to survey the satisfaction of hearing aid users in Korea. The questionnaire was designed to find out not only the satisfaction of wearing hearing aid but also the various viewpoints about the hearing aid itself of its wearers.Methods: A total of 118 subjects including 72 males and 46 females completed the survey from 28 hearing aids centers. The questionnaire was divided into two parts. The first part contained the audiological information reported by the experts and the other part included about the information of hearing aid performance, listening environments and related services reported by the hearing aid users.Results: Overall satisfaction rate of hearing aid was 64.4%. About 84% of the subjects answered that the hearing aid made their quality of life improved. The most satisfied function of the hearing aid was ‘overall comfort,’ the most satisfied sound quality was ‘improved hearing ability,’ the most satisfied listening environments was ‘one-to-one conversation,’ and the most satisfied service quality was ‘kindness of the staffs.’ The most important listening situation they thought was ‘communication with cell phone.’ The proportion of using customized hearing aid was 77.9%, bilateral fitting rate was 62.4% and average purchasing price was 1,820,000 won per a unit.Conclusion: The overall hearing aid satisfaction rate (64.4%) was lower than USA (81%) and Germany (76%) but higher than Japan (38%). In Korea, the comprehensive study for the hearing aid market, specific satisfaction viewpoints of the hearing aid wearers and the status of non-wearers who have hearing loss should be needed for improving the user’s hearing aid satisfaction rate in the future.

Biopsychosocial Classification of Hearing Health Seeking in Adults Aged Over 50 Years in England

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2020

Objectives: Approximately 10 to 35% of people with a hearing impairment own a hearing aid. The present study aims to identify barriers to obtaining a hearing aid and inform future interventions by examining the biopsychosocial characteristics of adults aged 50+ according to 7 categories: (i) Did not report hearing difficulties, (ii) Reported hearing difficulties, (iii) Told a healthcare professional about experiencing hearing difficulties, (iv) Referred for a hearing assessment, (v) Offered a hearing aid, (vi) Accepted a hearing aid, and (vii) Reported using a hearing aid regularly. Design: The research was conducted using the English Longitudinal Study of Aging wave 7 with data obtained from 9666 adults living in England from June 2014 to May 2015. Cross-sectional data were obtained from a subset of 2845 participants aged 50 to 89 years of age with a probable hearing impairment measured by hearing screening (indicating a hearing threshold of >20 dB HL at 1 kHz or >35 dB HL at 3 kHz in the better ear). Classification according to hearing health-seeking category was via participants' self-report. Participants in each category were compared with people in all subsequent categories to examine the associations between each category and biopsychosocial correlates (sex, age, ethnicity, educational level, wealth, audiometric hearing level, self-reported health status, cognitive performance, attitudes to aging, living alone, and engagement in social activities) using multiple logistic regression. Results: The proportions of individuals (N = 2845) in categories i to vii were 40.0% (n = 1139), 14.0% (n = 396), 4.5% (n = 129), 4.0% (n = 114), 1.2% (n = 34), 7.7% (n = 220), and 28.6% (n = 813), respectively. Severity of hearing impairment was the only factor predictive of all the categories of hearing health-seeking that could be modeled. Other correlates predictive of at least one category of hearing health-seeking included sex, age, self-reported heath, participation in social activities, and cognitive function. Conclusions: For the first time, it was shown that 40.0% of people with an audiometrically identified probable hearing impairment did not report hearing difficulties. Each of the five categories of hearing health-seeking that could be modeled had different drivers and consequently, interventions likely should vary depending on the category of hearing health-seeking.

Increasing hearing aid adoption through multiple environmental listening utility

Article

Nov 2007

Sergei Kochkin

An abstract is unavailable. This article is available as HTML full text and PDF.

MarkeTrak VII: Customer satisfaction with hearing instruments in the digital age

Article

Sep 2005

Sergei Kochkin

In a survey of more than 1500 current users of hearing instruments, half of which were digital, overall customer satisfaction was measured at 71% for hearing instruments 0-5 years old. Customer satisfaction with 1-year-old instruments was 78%, which placed hearing instruments in the top third of all products and services in the United States as measured by the University of Michigan. Hearing care professionals received stellar ratings approaching perfection. Overall they achieved a 92% satisfaction rating. Eighty-five percent of consumers are satisfied with the ability of their instruments to improve their hearing, meaning they are deriving tremendous benefit. In 15 listening situations, customer satisfaction ranges from 90% (one-on-one) to 59% (cell phone). Six out often consumers are satisfied with their instruments in 80% of the listening situations measured in this study. Hearing instruments are beneficial all along the hearing loss continuum. However, ratings are significantly lower for the severe-to-profound hearing loss population (i.e., the 20% of people with the most severe hearing loss). Significant opportunity remains to meet the needs of people with the greatest hearing losses. For example, fewer than 1% of consumers own an FM assistive listening system and only 25% use directional microphones or telecoils. The use of digital hearing instruments is associated with significantly higher ratings on overall satisfaction and benefit, improved sound quality, reduction in feedback, improved performance in noisy situations, and greater utility in a number of important listening situations.

MarkeTrak VIII: 25-year trends in the hearing health market

Article

Nov 2008

Sergei Kochkin

Hearing loss population now at 34.25 million Americans R e s e a r c h T his is the first segment of a multi-part publication that will cover signifi-cant trends and issues in the hear-ing loss population. Since 1989, Knowles Electronics has conducted six MarkeTrak surveys of the US hearing loss popula-tion following the landmark 1984 Hearing Industries Association (HIA) study. Starting in 2004, the MarkeTrak national study was conducted and published by the Better Hearing Institute (BHI) through the continued generosity and sponsorship of Knowles Electronics as a public service to the hearing care industry. As in the past, the goal of this survey is to report relevant trends and report on new topics that contribute to our knowledge of the hearing aid owner population, as well as the sizeable population of people with admitted hearing loss who have chosen not to adopt amplification for their hearing loss. This publication covers 25-year trends in the hearing-impaired population including:  Hearing loss prevalence,  Hearing aid adoption rates,  Hearing loss screenings during a physical exam,  Distribution of hearing aids,  Hearing loss characteristics of hear-ing aid owners and non-adopters,  New hearing aid adopters, and  Demography of hearing aid owners and non-adopters. Two key changes to the trending pub-lication are: 1) overall customer satisfac-tion trends have been removed from this report; and 2) comparisons of hearing loss characteristics of hearing aid owners and non-owners have been moved from the traditional survey of non-adopters to this trend and demography publication (see sidebar "More on Trak" for future MarkeTrak VIII publications). continues to increase slowly (now 1 in 4 people with hearing loss) as do binaural fittings (8 out of 10). However, less than 1 in 10 people with mild hearing loss use amplification, while 4 in 10 people with moderate-to-severe hearing loss use amplification for their hearing loss. Here is the most complete compilation to date on MarkeTrak consumer demographics and trends. MarkeTrak VIII is the largest and most comprehensive database since its inception. Future pub-lications in this series over the next few years will consist of the following: 1) Customer satisfaction with hearing aids; 2) Customer satisfaction with hearing health profes-sionals and correlates of satisfaction due to differ-ences in hearing aid fitting protocols and services; 3) Customer satisfaction with open-fit hearing aids compared to traditional styles; 4) Sources of noise that most impact satisfaction with hearing aids (essay analysis); 5) Perceptions of benefit and changes in quality of life due to hearing aids; 6) Impact of hearing loss and amplification on job performance, employability, promotions, and income; 7) Safety as a function of demography and hearing loss; 8) Prevalence of tinnitus in America; 9) Perceptions of efficacy of tinnitus treatment techniques including hearing aids; 10) Uses of assistive listening devices; 11) Use of inexpensive listening devices (<$50) in lieu of hearing aid adoption; 12) Factors that would influence hearing-impaired non-adopters to purchase and use hearing aids; 13) Comparison of customer satisfaction in other professions and with products and services including hearing health professionals and hearing aids (non-adopter population only); 14) Media habits of the hearing-impaired populations (owners and non-adopters); and 15) Reasons for hearing aid returns (essay analysis).

Introducing MarkeTrak: The consumer tracking survey of the hearing instruments market

17-27

S Kochkin
Marketrak

Kochkin S: MarkeTrak I: Introducing MarkeTrak: The consumer tracking survey of the hearing instruments market. Hear J 1990;43(5):17-27.

MarkeTrak III identifies key factors in determining customer satisfaction

Jan 1993
39

Kochkin

Kochkin S: MarkeTrak III identifies key factors in determining customer satisfaction. Hear J 1993;45(8):39-44.

Customer satisfaction with hearing aids in the digital age

Jan 2005
30

Kochkin

Kochkin S: Customer satisfaction with hearing aids in the digital age. Hear J 2005;58(9):30-37.

MarkeTrak I: Introducing MarkeTrak: The consumer tracking survey of the hearing instruments market

Jan 1990
17

Kochkin

MarkeTrak VIII: Consumer satisfaction with hearing aids is slowly increasing

Abstract

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