A patient of mine was preparing to undergo cochlear implant surgery because multiple hearing care professionals concluded that his hearing aids could no longer help him. There was just one enormous problem, nobody had objectively tested whether his hearing aids were functioning properly. His hearing had not changed. His hearing aids still produced sound. They even seemed acceptable during a traditional listening check. However, he was struggling to understand conversations, television dialogue, and speech in noisy environments. When I performed hearing instrument test box measures, also known as electroacoustic analysis, I discovered the real problem within minutes. Both hearing aids were mechanically malfunctioning. Their output and gain were too low, while their distortion and internal noise were far too high. His hearing aids were not helping him hear. They may have actually been making his hearing worse. I immediately programmed a pair of properly functioning loaner hearing aids using his previous settings. As soon as I placed them in his ears, he said, “Oh my God, my hearing’s back.” This patient nearly underwent cochlear implant surgery because nobody thought to objectively test his hearing aids. Test box measures are diagnostic tests used to determine whether hearing aids are functioning within the manufacturer’s specifications. They evaluate important performance characteristics including output, gain, distortion, and internal noise. This is completely different from determining whether hearing aids have been programmed correctly. A hearing aid can be programmed perfectly and still provide terrible performance if its internal components are malfunctioning. A listening check is not enough. Listening checks are subjective, and it can take an extreme amount of distortion before a hearing care professional can detect a problem by listening alone. Test box measures can identify performance problems long before they become that severe. Research suggests that approximately 15 to 20 percent of hearing aids may not meet manufacturer specifications. In my clinic, nearly half of the new patients who arrive with hearing aids purchased elsewhere have at least one hearing aid that fails diagnostic testing. That is why test box measures should be performed when you receive new hearing aids, whenever your hearing aids return from a manufacturer repair, and periodically throughout the life of your devices. At Applied Hearing Solutions, we perform diagnostic test box measures on every patient’s hearing aids each year, even when the patient is not reporting a problem. This allows us to identify a declining hearing aid before it significantly damages the patient’s hearing performance. Ask your hearing care provider this exact question: “Have you performed test box measures on my hearing aids to verify that they are within manufacturer specifications?” If the answer is yes, ask to see the results. Your provider should be able to show you a printed or digital report containing measurements such as OSPL90, full on gain, total harmonic distortion, and equivalent input noise. If your provider cannot show you the results, request that the testing be performed again. You should never assume that your hearing aids are functioning correctly simply because they still produce sound. Finding a hearing care professional who performs comprehensive diagnostic testing can be difficult. HearingUp Network members are committed to following audiologic Best Practices, including test box measures for new and repaired hearing aids. Find a HearingUp Network provider near you: https://hearingup.com Learn more from Dr. Cliff: https://drcliffaud.com Schedule an appointment with Applied Hearing Solutions in Phoenix, Arizona: https://appliedhearingaz.com Subscribe for more videos about hearing aids, hearing loss treatment, cochlear implants, and audiologic Best Practices. #HearingAids #HearingLoss #Audiology

85% of Hearing Aids FAIL This Critical Test

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