Hearing and Speech Perception for People With Hearing Loss Using Personal Sound Amplification Products

Abstract

Background Hearing loss (HL) is the most common chronic disease and has been linked to negative health outcomes. Hearing aids (HAs) are regarded as the gold standard for HL management, however, the adoption rate of HAs is relatively low for various reasons. With this background, hearing devices, such as personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) received significant attention as an alternative to conventional HAs. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of PSAPs in patients with mild to moderately severe HL. Methods Nineteen patients with mild hearing loss (MHL), 23 with moderate hearing loss (MDHL), and 15 with moderately severe hearing loss (MSHL) participated in the study. Electroacoustic analysis, simulated real-ear measurements (REMs), and three clinical evaluations were implemented. Results All devices satisfied the electroacoustic tolerances. All devices provided sufficient gain for MHL and MDHL audiograms. However, in MSHL audiogram, the gains of PSAPs were insufficient, especially for high frequencies. In terms of clinical evaluations, sound-field audiometry showed significant improvements between aided and unaided thresholds in all groups for all devices ( P < 0.001). Significant improvements of word recognition scores were only shown for HAs between aided and unaided conditions. The Korean version of the Hearing In Noise Test did not show any consistent findings for all devices and groups. Conclusion Certain PSAPs are beneficial for improving hearing and speech perception in patients with HL. Well-chosen PSAPs could be an alternative hearing rehabilitation option for these patients.

Interindividual variability in the benefits of personal sound amplification products on speech perception in noise: A randomized cross-over clinical trial

“…Specifically, participants were more accurate in discriminating words in noise and repeating sentences under high noise levels in the QuickSIN test with the PSAPs. This is consistent with previous studies showing that PSAPs are associated with better listening ability than an unaided condition [ 21 , 22 , 43 ].…”

“…Another factor that could explain the gain in speech-in-noise perception is that the PSAPs currently on the market might not be effective enough to provide clinically relevant benefits, as they do not all have the same features as conventional hearing aids. This would be consistent with a previous study that examined the impact of five different PSAPs and hearing aids on listening ability [ 21 ]. Their results showed that all PSAPs improved auditory processing, but the gains were significantly less than conventional hearing aids.…”

“…For instance, no significant improvement in speech-in-noise intelligibility has been reported when wearing PSAPs compared to hearing aids [ 20 ]. Moreover, the benefits of the PSAPs in the hearing in noise test are inconsistent across different types/brands of devices (i.e., hearing aid and PSAPs) and levels of hearing loss [ 21 ]. The benefits of PSAPs are limited to people with mild to moderate hearing loss, with little gain for more severe hearing loss [ 21 , 22 ].…”

“…Moreover, the benefits of the PSAPs in the hearing in noise test are inconsistent across different types/brands of devices (i.e., hearing aid and PSAPs) and levels of hearing loss [ 21 ]. The benefits of PSAPs are limited to people with mild to moderate hearing loss, with little gain for more severe hearing loss [ 21 , 22 ]. Even though PSAPs can mitigate hearing loss, the literature typically only discusses group differences without considering interindividual differences.…”

“…This is important because not everyone uses and benefits from PSAPs similarly. Earlier PSAPs studies have only considered the severity of hearing loss as a predictor of the performance [ 21 , 22 ]. However, several other variables, including sex, age, cognitive status, self-reported hearing, mental health, and physical health, have been associated with hearing loss [ 23 ] and may affect the effectiveness of PSAPs.…”