Improved word and phoneme recognition for soft and words for average speech in quiet were reported for the programmed-fit. Seventy-nine percent of the participants preferred the programmed-fitting versus first-fit. Hearing aids, therefore, should be verified and programmed using REM to a prescriptive target versus no verification using a first-fit.

Background-Patients with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (USNHL) experience great difficulty listening to speech in noisy environments. A directional microphone (DM) could potentially improve speech recognition in this difficult listening environment. It is well known that DMs in behind-the-ear (BTE) and custom hearing aids can provide a greater signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in comparison to an omnidirectional microphone (OM) to improve speech recognition in noise for persons with hearing impairment. Studies examining the DM in bone anchored auditory osseointegrated implants (Baha), however, have been mixed, with little to no benefit reported for the DM compared to an OM.

Misophonia is a relatively new term in the field of audiology, and there currently is no evidence-based research available on this topic; nevertheless, there are patients suffering with misophonia who are seeking help. This article provides both historical and current definitions of misophonia, as well as controversy regarding the definition. In addition, current demographics and symptoms will be presented and discussed. Patient history forms and questionnaires will guide the clinician in determining if the patient symptoms are associated with misophonia. Some patients will be satisfied with a diagnosis, whereas other patients will seek treatment. Current audiological management options are based on habituation theories used for tinnitus patients and research to guide clinicians is limited. Research is needed to determine not only the etiology and pathophysiology of misophonia but also associated symptoms, possible hereditary factors, and other disease entities that may present as misophonia. Validated questionnaires and tests to measure treatment outcomes are needed to provide best practice treatment options.Learning Outcomes: As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to (1) define misophonia and (2) describe the symptoms associated with misophonia.

, "Sentence recognition in noise and perceived benefit of noise reduction on the receiver and transmitter sides of a BICROS hearing aid" (2013 Kristi Oeding* Michael Valente* Abstract Background: In the past, bilateral contralateral routing of signals (BICROS) amplification incorporated omnidirectional microphones on the transmitter and receiver sides and some models utilized noise reduction (NR) on the receiver side. Little research has examined the performance of BICROS amplification in background noise. However, previous studies examining contralateral routing of signals (CROS) amplification have reported that the presence of background noise on the transmitter side negatively affected speech recognition. Recently, NR was introduced as a feature on the receiver and transmitter sides of BICROS amplification, which has the potential to decrease the impact of noise on the wanted speech signal by decreasing unwanted noise directed to the transmitter side.

Background: Current bone anchored hearing solutions (BAHSs) have incorporated automatic adaptive multichannel directional microphones (DMs). Previous fixed single-channel hypercardioid DMs in BAHSs have provided benefit in a diffuse listening environment, but little data are available on the performance of adaptive multichannel DMs in BAHSs for persons with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (USNHL).