Or: how do you prove the benefits of a second hearing aid?

At the end of May, leading international experts from science and hearing system development met for the workshop "Audiological studies for hearing systems - Test Toolbox" at The Haus des Hörens. As part of the HurDig project, they discussed suitable tools for international hearing research. The monocle is a thing of the past in cases of visual impairment, but in cases of hearing loss, only one hearing aid is often worn - even though all experts and most of those affected are well aware of the benefits of a second hearing aid for spatial hearing and speech comprehension. However, there are problems with objectively proving this benefit to the authorities. The methods used here are often not sensitive enough - especially for people who only have a slight hearing loss. In order to tackle this problem and discuss suitable methods for fitting and testing hearing systems in general, experts came together in Oldenburg. In addition to hearing researchers from Germany and the Netherlands, all major manufacturers of hearing aids and cochlear implants were represented at the invitation of the HörTech competence centre. The experts had a particularly lively discussion on the question of which measurement methods are best suited to proving the benefits of a two-ear (bilateral) hearing aid fitting. "We have a wide range of methods for this, from localisation measurements to record localisation ability, to understanding speech, to EEG measurement technology or structured recording of the subject's opinion using questionnaires," commented the scientific director of the conference, Prof. Dr Dr Birger Kollmeier. "All methods can be used to demonstrate the benefits - but the time required is so great that we had to agree on a small set of the most meaningful methods." Another highlight of the event was a session in honour of the initiator and coordinator of the now successfully completed European HearCom project, Prof. Dr Tammo Houtgast and Dr Marcel Flaming. Many of the methods discussed in the workshop would not exist in this form without the HearCom project and the development work of the 30 European partners - including HörTech, the Hearing Centre and the University of Oldenburg. And HearCom has also had a lasting influence on international hearing research: a great deal of common ground, across national borders. "The workshop spread an atmosphere of co-operation. HearCom continues," said a delighted Prof Dr Tammo Houtgast in his acceptance speech. The workshop participants at the obligatory group photo in the Hörgarten [01/06/2012]