Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare > Volume 15, Number 3 > Pp. 122-124

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PAPERS

Remote probe microphone measurement to verify hearing aid performance

Deborah Viviane Ferrari  and Gabriela Rosito Alvarez Bernardez-Braga

Department of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology, Dentistry School of Bauru, University of São Paulo, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil

Correspondence: Dr Deborah Viviane Ferrari, Departamento de Fonoaudiologia, Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru, Al. Octávio Pinheiro Brisolla, 9-75, Vila Universitária, Bauru – SP. Cep:17012-101, Brazil (Fax: +55 14 32234679; Email: deborahferrari{at}usp.br)

We assessed the feasibility of obtaining probe microphone measurements of hearing aids at a distance. Face-to-face and remote probe microphone measurements were carried out in 60 hearing aid users (mean age 67 yrs) with uni- or bilateral hearing losses (105 ears tested). The participant and a facilitator were located in a room equipped with a probe microphone system interfaced to a PC. Desktop videoconferencing and application sharing was used to allow an audiologist in another room to instruct the facilitator and control the equipment via the LAN. There were significant correlations between face-to-face and remote real ear unaided response (REUR), aided response (REAR) and insertion gain (REIG) at seven discrete frequencies from 250 to 6000 Hz. Differences between face-to-face and remote responses were within the reported variability for probe microphone measurements themselves. The results show that remote probe microphone measurements are feasible and might improve the quality of public hearing aid services and professional training in Brazil.

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