Project Efficiency

Management: Dr. Markus Meis, Hörzentrum Oldenburg


Topic:

Cost-benefit ratios for (technical hearing aid components in) modern hearing systems

Outline:

Results from HörTech Project I and Project III will be new hardware and software components for hearing systems.

Which technical and audiological benefits do technical hearing system components have for hearing impaired persons?

This is a key question when it comes to Project IV. Efficient evaluation tools for hi-fi hearing systems are being developed and concrete product evaluations conducted. The results deliver precise information on performance and improvement of  new developments.

So it is that algorithms, implemented for instance in hearing systems to reduce unwanted noise, do not necessarily improve objectively measured speech intelligibility. Yet they can reduce hearing strain exhibited by hearing aid bearers. However, there is no validated measurement procedure for hearing strain at present.  In HörTech Project IV,  various concepts for measuring hearing strain (e.g. short-term memory performance, dual task, subjective scaling) are being developed and tested with normal and impaired listeners. In order to assess the subjective benefit of hearing systems, questionnaires are a must. That is why a HörTech Inventory was developed with cooperating partners. It includes modules on the following topics:

• Medical History
• Equipment & Service
• Spontaneous Acceptance
• Hearing Situations: General & Individual
• Hearing System Evaluation
• Quality of Life

Furthermore, the influence and importance of singular, non-technical components within the course of treatment (customization and service elements, comparative customizations, check-ups) on hearing aid choice and customization, customer satisfaction are estimated. In order to gain such information from the field, untreated hearing impaired persons, who are contemplating obtaining a hearing system, are questioned in a longitudinal telephone interview study over several months. Topics in this study are,  among others, technial treatment, audiological factors, service and the social environment. The results assist in optimally integrating HörTech products in the complete course of treatment. Besides the needs expressed by the hearing impaired, Project IV also assesses the interests of market participants in hearing aid development and supply in order to strengthen HörTech's orientation along the entire course of treatment. Comprehensive interviews are being conducted with experts from the hearing aid industry, health insurance companies and hearing aid acousticians.