Interactive fitting of hearing aids

Researcher(s): A.C.H. Houben, PhD.
Supervisor(s): N.J. Versfeld, PhD., W.A. Dreschler, PhD.

Background:
Modern hearing aids use advanced signal processing schemes for which no generic fitting procedure is currently available. In daily practice these new technologies are fitted by experience of the audiologist. Most often the needed adjustments are made sequentially. This implies that the hearing aid parameter under investigation is not influenced by adjustments to other parameters. However, previous research has shown that this assumption is not always valid.

Aim:
The current project attempts to develop a novel fitting paradigm for the adjustment of individual hearing aids. The paradigm will be based on the subjective comparison of settings by the user. The strategy will take into account possible (unknown) interactions between parameters.

Method:
The paradigm is based on direct comparisons of hearing aid settings. A user listens to Dutch speech samples, which will be amplified according to two different hearing aid settings.
After the presentation the user has to indicate which of the two settings was best. The outcome of this subjective comparison will be used as input for a direct search procedure. This procedure will attempt to efficiently find the optimal fitting of the hearing aid. The new fitting strategy will be developed and tested by using experiments with hearing-impaired subjects. This project is part of work package 6 of the European project ‘Hearing in the Communication Society’ (HEARCOM, see www.hearcom.info).


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General Otology Prevention of hearing loss Auditory profile Rehabilitation Evaluation of Noise Reduction in (digital) Hearing Aids AZOS-project: Modified care model for hearing impaired listeners Classification of hearing aids in CLiQ Interactive fitting of hearing aids “Self learning” or trainable hearing aid Evaluation of advanced hearing aid features Optimalisation of hearing aids through paired comparisons Field trials with innovative hearing instruments The added value of a bilateral hearing aid fitting Hearing at work Publications Presentations	Interactive fitting of hearing aids Researcher(s): A.C.H. Houben, PhD. Supervisor(s): N.J. Versfeld, PhD., W.A. Dreschler, PhD. Background: Modern hearing aids use advanced signal processing schemes for which no generic fitting procedure is currently available. In daily practice these new technologies are fitted by experience of the audiologist. Most often the needed adjustments are made sequentially. This implies that the hearing aid parameter under investigation is not influenced by adjustments to other parameters. However, previous research has shown that this assumption is not always valid. Aim: The current project attempts to develop a novel fitting paradigm for the adjustment of individual hearing aids. The paradigm will be based on the subjective comparison of settings by the user. The strategy will take into account possible (unknown) interactions between parameters. Method: The paradigm is based on direct comparisons of hearing aid settings. A user listens to Dutch speech samples, which will be amplified according to two different hearing aid settings. After the presentation the user has to indicate which of the two settings was best. The outcome of this subjective comparison will be used as input for a direct search procedure. This procedure will attempt to efficiently find the optimal fitting of the hearing aid. The new fitting strategy will be developed and tested by using experiments with hearing-impaired subjects. This project is part of work package 6 of the European project ‘Hearing in the Communication Society’ (HEARCOM, see www.hearcom.info).