ABSTRACT
New hearing aid users are often overwhelmed by amplified signals and may reject amplification.
Some hearing aid companies have attempted to facilitate adjustment to hearing aids
by providing different levels of amplification for differing amounts of experience.
Twenty-nine hearing aid companies were initially contacted for inclusion in this survey.
Five companies indicated having a built-in adaptation manager, but only four companies
(Electone, Oticon, Phonak, and Siemens) released information. The adaptation managers
were compared using six simulated hearing loss configurations. Data are presented
in tabulated form displaying the difference between initial and final gain levels
for loud, medium, and soft input levels. The primary strategy employed in the hearing
aid fitting software is a stepwise increase in the amount of gain provided by the
hearing aids.
KEYWORD
Adaptation - hearing aids - gain
