Behavioral Evaluation of 3 Smartphone-Based Hearing Aid Apps for Patients with Mild Hearing Loss: An Exploratory Pilot Study

Koo, Miseung; Nguyen, Willy; Lee, Jun Ho; Oh, Seung June; Park, Moo Kyun

doi:10.5152/iao.2022.21469

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In another study, we evaluated the behavioral performance of a selection of currently available SHAAs in patients with mild hearing loss. However, it was an exploratory pilot study with only 7 participants [ 24 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A pilot study that conducted behavioral evaluations of 3 SHAAs provided the evidence used to select an SHAA for this study [ 24 ]. We chose the Petralex SHAA (IT4YOU Corp LLC) because it was available for download on both Android and iOS phones and users showed a greater improvement in WRSs compared to the other apps [ 24 ]. Petralex provides various functions, including a hearing test, speech recognition, acoustic amplification, and dynamic compression.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although some SHAAs provide the recommended level of processing delay, conventional HAs have shown better performance than SHAAs in most aspects of amplification. Our previous study on the electroacoustic performance of various SHAAs [ 19 ] demonstrated that some SHAAs provided satisfactory amplification [ 24 ]. In addition, other studies have demonstrated the feasibility of SHAAs for patients with hearing loss [ 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our previous study on the electroacoustic performance of various SHAAs [ 19 ] demonstrated that some SHAAs provided satisfactory amplification [ 24 ]. In addition, other studies have demonstrated the feasibility of SHAAs for patients with hearing loss [ 24 ]. In this study, we investigated the listening performance of an SHAA using objective assessments and subjective satisfaction in patients with mild-to-moderate hearing loss.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Feasibility of a Smartphone-Based Hearing Aid App for Mild-to-Moderate Hearing Loss: Prospective Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Park¹,

Jo²,

Seo³

et al. 2023

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

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Background Hearing loss is a growing health concern worldwide. Hearing aids (HAs) are the treatment of choice for hearing rehabilitation in most cases of mild-to-moderate hearing loss. However, many patients with hearing loss do not use HAs due to their high cost, stigma, and inaccessibility. Since smartphones are widely used, many apps that mimic the amplification function of HAs have been introduced. Smartphone-based HA apps (SHAAs) are affordable and easy to access. However, the audiological benefit of SHAAs has not been determined. Objective We compared the audiological performance between an SHAA and a conventional HA in a prospective, multicenter randomized controlled trial. Methods Patients with mild-to-moderate hearing loss were prospectively enrolled from 2 tertiary hospitals and randomly assigned to either an SHAA (Petralex; IT4YOU Corp LLC) or a conventional HA (Siya 1 miniRITE; Oticon A/S). For the cross-over study design, participants used the alternate device and repeated the same 2-month trial. Audiological measurements were obtained using hearing tests, real-ear measurements, and the hearing-in-noise test (HINT). Subjective satisfaction was evaluated using the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) and International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA). Results Overall, 63 participants were screened and 38 completed the study. In sound-field audiometry testing, the SHAA showed a 20- to 60-dB gain in the low-to-high frequencies of the hearing threshold level. The HA provided adequate gain in the middle-to-high frequencies (55, 65, and 75 dB in real-ear measurements), which is the sound level for most speaking volumes. However, the SHAA could not improve word recognition at 50 dB. The HA showed better audiological performance than the SHAA in both quiet and noisy conditions in the HINT. The IOI-HA scores were significantly improved by both the HA and SHAA versus unaided conditions. Among the SHAA users, 37% (14/38), 42% (16/38), 24% (9/38), and 32% (12/38) showed improvement in APHAB scores for ease of communication, reverberation, background noise, and aversiveness of sounds, respectively. There were no differences in adverse events between the 2 study groups. Conclusions The HA showed better performance than the SHAA in word recognition and the HINT. However, the SHAA was significantly better than unaided hearing in terms of amplification. The SHAA may be a useful hearing assistance device for patients with mild-to-moderate hearing loss when listening to soft sounds in quiet conditions. The SHAA demonstrated poorer performance than the HA in the mid- to high-frequency sounds that are important for word recognition, sound quality, and hearing in noisy conditions. Further development of the signal technology of SHAAs is needed to improve the sound quality of mid- to high-frequency sounds and overcome noisy environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Feasibility of a Smartphone-Based Hearing Aid App for Mild-to-Moderate Hearing Loss: Prospective Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Park¹,

Jo²,

Seo³

et al. 2023

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

Self Cite

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Validation of a Bluetooth Self-Fitting Device for People With Mild-to-Moderate Hearing Loss in Quiet or Noisy Environments

Chang,

2024

Am J Audiol

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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the benefits of a Bluetooth self-fitting device using an in situ hearing screening test and self-fitting processes. Method: Thirty Mandarin-speaking individuals (16 men and 14 women) with mild-to-moderate hearing loss participated in this study. The hearing screening test was conducted using neckband earphones of a Bluetooth self-fitting device controlled by a smartphone app. The hearing screening tests were compared with the pure-tone audiometry in an audiometric booth. The amplification benefits of the self-fitting program-aided condition were evaluated and compared with those of unaided and preset program-aided conditions using the Mandarin Hearing in Noise Test (MHINT) and questionnaires. Results: The pure-tone audiometry and hearing screening test results exhibited strong positive correlations at all test frequencies. In the environment with 90° noise, the sentence reception thresholds (SRTs) obtained for the self-fitting program-aided condition were significantly lower ( p = .032) than those obtained for the unaided condition, whereas no significant difference was observed between the preset program-aided and the unaided conditions. Moreover, the participants' satisfaction ratings for the devices were consistent with their MHINT results, with a strong positive correlation observed between satisfaction with self-fitting and user satisfaction in smartphone app's control, functionality, and learning. Younger participants were significantly more satisfied in learning to use the app. Conclusions: Bluetooth self-fitting devices can be used for simplified in situ hearing screenings with a sensitivity of 90.4%. The satisfaction ratings and improvements in SRTs indicate significant clinical benefits of the self-fitting program compared with the preset program, particularly in the 90°-noise environments.

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Feasibility of a Smartphone-Based Hearing Aid App for Mild to Moderate Hearing Loss: A Prospective, Randomized, and Controlled Multicenter Study (Preprint)

Park¹,

Jo²,

Seo³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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BACKGROUND Hearing loss is a growing health concern worldwide. Hearing aids (HAs) are the treatment of choice for hearing rehabilitation in most cases of mild to moderate hearing loss. However, many patients with hearing loss do not use HAs due to their high cost, stigma, and inaccessibility. Since smartphones are widely used, many applications that mimic the amplification function of HAs have been introduced. Smartphone-based HA apps (SHAAs) are affordable and easy to access. However, the audiological benefit of SHAAs has not been determined. OBJECTIVE We compared the audiological performance between a SHAA and a conventional HA in a prospective, randomized, and controlled multicenter study. METHODS Patients with mild to moderate hearing loss were prospectively enrolled from two tertiary hospitals and randomly assigned to either a SHAA (Petralex, IT4YOU Corp. LLC, Saveni, Romania,) or a conventional HA (Siya 1 miniRITE, Oticon, Smorum, Denmark). For the cross-over study design, participants used the alternate device and repeated the same 2-month trial. Audiological measurements were obtained using hearing tests, real ear measurements (REMs), and hearing-in-noise tests (HINTs). Subjective satisfaction was evaluated using the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) and the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA). RESULTS In total, 63 participants were screened and 38 participants completed the study. In sound field audiometry testing, the SHAA showed a 20–60 dB gain in the low to high frequencies of the hearing threshold level. The HA provided adequate gain in the middle to high frequencies (55, 65, and 75 dB in REMs), which is the sound level for most speaking volumes. However, the SHAA could not improve word recognition at 50 dB. The HA showed better audiological performance than the SHAA in both quiet and noisy conditions in HINTs. The IOI-HA scores were significantly improved by both the HA and SHAA versus unaided conditions. Among the SHAA users, 37%, 42%, 24%, and 32% showed improvement in APHAB scores for ease of communication, reverberation, background noise, and aversiveness of sounds, respectively. There were no differences in adverse events between the two study groups. CONCLUSIONS The HA showed better performance than the SHAA in word recognition and HINTs. However, the SHAA was significantly better than unaided hearing in terms of amplification. The SHAA may be a useful hearing assistance device for patients with mild to moderate hearing loss when listening to soft sounds in quiet conditions. The SHAA demonstrated poor performance when compared to the HA in the mid- to high-frequency sounds that are important for word recognition, sound quality, and hearing in noisy conditions. Further development of the signal technology of SHAA is needed to improve the sound quality of mid- to high-frequency sounds and to overcome noisy environments.

show abstract

Behavioral Evaluation of 3 Smartphone-Based Hearing Aid Apps for Patients with Mild Hearing Loss: An Exploratory Pilot Study

Cited by 3 publications

References 22 publications

Feasibility of a Smartphone-Based Hearing Aid App for Mild-to-Moderate Hearing Loss: Prospective Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Feasibility of a Smartphone-Based Hearing Aid App for Mild-to-Moderate Hearing Loss: Prospective Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Validation of a Bluetooth Self-Fitting Device for People With Mild-to-Moderate Hearing Loss in Quiet or Noisy Environments

Feasibility of a Smartphone-Based Hearing Aid App for Mild to Moderate Hearing Loss: A Prospective, Randomized, and Controlled Multicenter Study (Preprint)

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