Robust Data-Driven Auditory Profiling Towards Precision Audiology.
Raul Sanchez-Lopez, Michal Fereczkowski, Tobias Neher and 2 others
PMID 33272110WHAT IT FOUND
Four auditory profiles emerged from 75 older listeners' test scores.
The profiles differed in speech-in-noise and loudness processing beyond audiogram. This is method development, not evidence that tailored hearing aids help.
Key findings
01After 1,000 repetitions, listeners were divided into four profiles: A (24), C (22), B (13), and D (9), with four uncategorizable and four inconclusive.
02Two types of auditory distortion were identified: type-I was linked to high-frequency hearing thresholds and difficulty hearing in noise; type-II was linked to low-frequency thresholds and loudness perception.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The method was constrained to two dimensions and four profiles, so it may miss other sources of listening difficulty. The data came from older adults with symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss, so the profiles may not apply to other ages or hearing loss types. The study did not assign patients to treatment and did not test whether profiling improves hearing rehabilitation. The full BEAR battery may be too long or impractical for clinic use. Cognitive factors were treated as confounds rather than measured as part of the auditory profile. Some listeners could not be assigned confidently: four were uncategorizable and four were inconclusive. Unreliable speech-in-noise scores were treated as missing, and the decision tree ignored missing data.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. Funding came from Innovation Foundation Denmark Grand Solutions 5164-00011B, Oticon, GN Hearing, WSAudiology, and other partners, including university and hospital groups.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this auditory profiling method or the BEAR battery improves hearing rehabilitation. The paper classified 75 listeners and related test scores to profiles; it did not assign patients to treatment or measure patient benefit.