Factors affecting the use and perceived benefit of ITE and BTE hearing AIDS

A. Baumfield*, H. Dillon

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

35 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate factors that might affect hearing aid use, satisfaction and perceived benefit. A further aim was to look at which variables affect the choice of hearing aid, in particular, an in-the-ear (ITE) versus a behind-the-ear (BTE) device. Twenty-nine elderly hearing-impaired people with a mild-to-moderate hearing loss were fitted with both an ITE and a BTE hearing aid with similar electroacoustic performance. Both hearing aids were linear with output compression limiting and were fitted in a randomized order. After wearing each device for a six-week period, subjects were asked to select the hearing aid they preferred. Variables significantly related to hearing aid choice, use and perceived benefit included ease of management, accuracy with which the NAL-R insertion gain target was achieved, earmould comfort and the type of hearing aid the client preferred initially.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)247-258
Number of pages12
JournalBritish Journal of Audiology
Volume35
Issue number4
Publication statusPublished - 2001
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Benefit
  • Hearing aids
  • Preference
  • Satisfaction
  • Use

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