Aided Audiometry

Aided audiometry refers to the assessment of an individual's hearing ability while using hearing aids or other amplification devices. This type of audiometry is crucial for determining the effectiveness of hearing aids in improving a person's hearing and communication abilities. Here's an overview of aided audiometry:

Purpose:
Assessment of Hearing Aid Performance:

• Determines how well hearing aids improve an individual's hearing thresholds.

Verification and Validation:

• Ensures that hearing aids are appropriately fitted and programmed to meet the individual's hearing needs.

Fine-Tuning Hearing Aid Settings:

• Allows audiologists to make adjustments to the hearing aid parameters for optimal performance.

Procedure:
Initial Audiometric Evaluation:

• The individual undergoes standard pure-tone audiometry without wearing hearing aids to establish baseline hearing thresholds.

Hearing Aid Fitting:

• Hearing aids are selected and programmed based on the individual's hearing loss and communication needs.

Real-Ear Measurements:

• Real-ear measurements involve placing a tiny microphone in the ear canal to measure the sound levels produced by the hearing aid. This ensures that the hearing aid is delivering the appropriate amplification for the individual's hearing loss.

Aided Audiometry:

• The individual wears the hearing aids during audiometric testing.
• Pure-tone and speech audiometry are conducted with the hearing aids activated.

Types of Aided Audiometry Tests:
Aided Pure-Tone Audiometry:

• Measures the softest sounds a person can hear with hearing aids.

Speech Audiometry with Hearing Aids:

• Assesses the individual's ability to understand speech in the presence of background noise while using hearing aids.

Verification Measures:

• Includes tests like Real-Ear Measures (REM) to verify that the hearing aids are providing the prescribed amplification.

Interpretation:
Comparison with Unaided Audiometry:

• Aided audiometry results are compared with the baseline unaided audiometry to assess the improvement provided by hearing aids.

Adjustments and Fine-Tuning:

• If necessary, audiologists make adjustments to the hearing aid settings based on the aided audiometry results.