Development of the Device-Oriented Subjective Outcome (DOSO) scale.

Background: The empiric basis for this work is derived from previous research completed in our laboratory and published in 2005 and 2007. The previous work suggested that self-report hearing aid outcomes can be viewed as device oriented or wearer oriented. Furthermore, compared with wearer-oriented outcomes, device-oriented outcomes were more independent of personality variables.

Implications of high-frequency cochlear dead regions for fitting hearing aids to adults with mild to moderately severe hearing loss.

Objectives: A cochlear dead region (DR) occurs at a given frequency when there is a loss of normal functioning of inner hair cells tuned to that frequency. It has been suggested that existence of high-frequency DRs has implications for hearing aid fitting, and that the optimal amount of high-frequency gain is reduced for these patients. However, the data supporting this suggestion has been obtained using listeners with severe or profound hearing loss.

Cochlear dead regions in typical hearing aid candidates: prevalence and implications for use of high-frequency speech cues.

Objectives: This study had two purposes. The first was to assess the prevalence of cochlear dead regions (DRs) among listeners with moderate to severe hearing loss that is typical of a large proportion of adult hearing aid wearers. The second was to determine whether subjects who tested positive for DRs differed from those without DRs in their ability to utilize high-frequency speech cues in a laboratory test.

Preference for one or two hearing AIDS among adult patients.

Objectives: Most practitioners believe that use of two hearing aids is the ideal fitting for adults with bilateral symmetrical hearing loss. However, previous research has consistently shown that a substantial proportion of these patients actually prefer to use only one hearing aid. This study explored whether this pattern of preferences is seen with technologically advanced hearing aids.

Development of APHAB norms for WDRC hearing aids and comparisons with original norms.

Objectives: This study was undertaken for two purposes: First, to provide a comparison of subjective performance and benefit measured with the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire for two groups. One group included hearing-impaired individuals using 1990s-era linear processing hearing aids. The other group included hearing-impaired individuals using more current wide-dynamic range compression (WDRC)-capable hearing aids fit using current practice protocols.

Evaluation of the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids in a veteran sample.

Background: The International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA) was developed as a global hearing aid outcome measure targeting seven outcome domains. The published norms were based on a private-pay sample who were fitted with analog hearing aids.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the IOI-HA and to establish normative data in a veteran sample.

Personality, hearing problems, and amplification characteristics: contributions to self-report hearing aid outcomes.

Objective: When we evaluate the success of a hearing aid fitting, or the effectiveness of new amplification technology, self-report data occupy a position of critical importance. Unless patients report that our efforts are helpful, it is difficult to justify a conclusion that the intervention has been successful. Although it is generally assumed that subjective reports primarily reflect the excellence of the fitted hearing aid(s) within the context of the patient's everyday circumstances, there is relatively little research that assesses the validity of this assumption.

Hearing aid patients in private practice and public health (Veterans Affairs) clinics: are they different?

Objective: In hearing aid research, it is commonplace to combine data across subjects whose hearing aids were provided in different service delivery models. There is reason to question whether these types of patients are always similar enough to justify this practice. To explore this matter, this investigation evaluated similarities and differences in self-report data obtained from hearing aid patients derived from public health (Veterans Affairs, VA) and private practice (PP) settings.

Who wants a hearing aid? Personality profiles of hearing aid seekers.

Objective: Evidence indicates that elderly hearing-impaired people who use amplification live happier, healthier, and longer lives than those who do not. Nevertheless, only a small fraction (approximately 23%) of hearing-impaired adults actually seek and use hearing aids. This study explored the personalities of hearing aid seekers in an attempt to determine whether those who seek hearing aids are systematically different from the general population.

Norms for the international outcome inventory for hearing aids.

The International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA) is a seven-item survey that was developed for use in research settings to facilitate comparison of data across diverse investigations. The inventory also has potential applications in clinical evaluation of hearing aid fitting outcomes. This article reports the development of norms for the inventory that are suitable for use with group data in research applications, and individual data in a clinical setting.

Audiometric correlates of the unaided APHAB.

The Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) is a self-report questionnaire that is used to quantify the impact of a hearing problem on an individual's daily life. In this investigation, the relationships were explored between typical clinical audiometric data and the four subscale scores of the APHAB administered in the unaided (without-amplification) condition. Sixty subjects provided APHAB scores, audiograms, and speech recognition data.

The International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA): psychometric properties of the English version.

The International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA) is a seven-item questionnaire designed to be generally applicable in evaluating the effectiveness of hearing aid treatments. The inventory was developed to facilitate cooperation among researchers and program evaluators in diverse settings. It is brief and general enough to be appended to other outcome measures that might be planned in a particular application, and will provide directly comparable data across otherwise incompatible projects.