Module 1

Question 1

What are the main things we look at for amplification candidacy?

Answer 1

1. Audiological Profile
2. Communication Needs
3. Motivation

Question 2

NAL-NL2 vs DSL v5

Answer 2

-NAL-NL2 is a loudness equalization strategy and is generally preferred for adults
-DSL v5 is a loudness normalization strategy and is generally preferred for pediatrics

Question 3

What do we need to take into consideration when trying to reach targets using a 2cc coupler? (5)

Answer 3

-Ear canal resonance
-RECD
-Microphone location effects
-Earmold of BTEs (tubing and venting effects)
-Shell modifications on custom hearing aids (fit and venting effects)

Question 4

What is a real ear aided response (REAR)?

Answer 4

-A REAR looks at the total response of the hearing aid delivered in the ear canal, taking into account the gain provided by the hearing aid and the patient’s ear canal when a signal is delivered (measured in dB SPL)

Question 5

What is functional gain?

Answer 5

-Function gain = unaided threshold in soundfield - aided threshold in soundfield
-Used as a verification tool before REM

Question 6

T/F: REMs have better test-retest reliability and provide more ear-specific information than functional gain measures

Answer 6

TRUE

Question 7

When should functional gain measures be used?

Answer 7

-When fitting BAHD and CI
-When REMs may be questionable due to ear canal/ME condition
-When specifically requested by 3rd party
-Sometimes good to do both REM and aided thresholds in paediatric fittings as a counselling tool/demo HA performance to family

Question 8

When completing a “first fit” on the HA software, how does the software display HA performance?

Answer 8

In 2cc or predicted real-ear values (2cc values and manufacturer’s choice of values for correction factors, such as MLE or RECD)

Question 9

T/F: First fit with phonak software vs verifit2 revealed they were underestimating how much gain they were providing

Answer 9

FALSE: the phonak software OVERestimated how much gain was provided

Question 10

What do manufacturers base their brand-specific variations on prescriptive formulas on? (2)

Answer 10

Preferred sound quality & initial acceptance data

Question 11

T/F: verification of proprietary formulas can be challenging

Answer 11

TRUE: verification systems do not include manufacturer specific algorithms as a formula as a point of comparison

Question 12

79% of Valente (2018)’s study showed that the participants preferred programmed fittings using ___ versus ___

Answer 12

REM, first-fit

Question 13

Limitations of first-fit without verification

Answer 13

-Many studies show that first-fit under amplifies high frequencies and can negatively affect speech recognition ability
-Leads to lower patient satisfaction with hearing aids

Question 14

What is research saying about automatic REMs (automatic fine tuning integration with verification system)?

Answer 14

There are camps of research to suggest this is a valid measure

Question 15

What is the speech intelligibility index (SII)?

Answer 15

-The SII measures the amount of a given speech signal that is audible to the listener
-Used as a counselling tool