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Self-fitting and trainable hearing aids

Program: 
R4
Project area: 
R4.3: Trainable Devices (Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implants)
Project-ID: 
R4.3.1
Project Status: 
Ongoing

Background

There is a deficit in developing countries in both the provision of hearing aids and the number of hearing health care providers who are skilled to fit them. The World Health Organization reports that more than 30 million hearing aids are required annually in such countries, but that current annual provision is less than 1 million (WHO, 2004).

One potential solution is a self-fitting hearing aid, an amplification device that users can program themselves without the need for a previous audiogram, direct input from an audiologist, or access to a computer.  If the self-fitting hearing aid is trainable, the user can further fine-tune the device in his/her own environments.  Trainable hearing aids were explored and found beneficial to hearing aid wearers during a past CRC. 

Detail

This project aims to design and evaluate a self-fitting and trainable hearing aid. The proposed device incorporates an in situ adaptive measurement of the user’s hearing thresholds, to which an onboard prescriptive algorithm is applied to determine an appropriate gain/frequency response and compression parameters, and controls that enable training of frequency- and input-dependent gain.  In various phases of this project, issues such as interest in and management of a self-fitting hearing aid; identification and quantification of a conductivve hearing loss by the instrument; candidacy, user benefit and satisfaction; and comparison of fitting outcomes with those yielded by a traditional hearing aid fitting procedure will be investigated.

Work on evaluating and fine-tuning algorithms that enable training of hearing instruments is continuing.

Project leadership

[title]
Dr Gitte Keidser
 

Project Team

Elizabeth Convery, Harvey Dillon, Lisa Hartley, Andrea Caposecco, Scott Brewer

 

Organisations involved

Australian Hearing Services
Siemens Hearing Instruments P/L
The University of Queensland

Publications from this Project

Title Authors Year of Publicationsort icon
Is inter-subject variation in measured directional benefit best explained by variation in acoustic, psychoacoustic, or cognitive parameters? Keidser, G, Dillon H, Convery E, Hartley L 2011
Perception and management of a self-fitting hearing aid among older adults Keidser, G, Convery E, Hartley L, Dillon H 2011
How well can adults manage a self-fitting hearing aid? Keidser, G, Convery E, Hartley D, Dillon H 2011
The audiometric threshold: measured in-situ, automated, and by the hearing aid Keidser, G, Dillon H, O'Brien A, Zhou D, Carter L, Yeend I, Hartley L 2010
The self-fitting hearing aid: a concept and potential advantages and disadvantages Convery, E, Dillon H, Keidser G, Carter L, Zhou D 2010
User preferences for amplification for adults with severe and profound hearing loss Convery, E, Keidser G 2010
The self-fitting hearing aid Dillon, H 2009
Many factors are involved in optimizing environmentally adaptive hearing aids Keidser, G 2009
The Trainable Hearing Aid Keidser, G, Dillon H, Zakis JA, Convery E, Deschler W 2009
Client-Based Adjustments of Hearing Aid Gain: The Effect of Different Control Configurations Dreschler, WA, Keidser G, Convery E, Dillon H 2008