COULD OUR MODEL BE WRONG?
2002; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 55; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1097/01.hj.0000293365.09947.fd
ISSN2333-6218
Autores ResumoSome things don't change. After much money and effort are spent to bring a product to the hearing-impaired market, it still meets a lot of resistance from the public. We have altered our fitting systems and made fitting a hearing aid relatively easy. So, what is the problem? Why is the percentage of the population we have sold aids to just a little greater than it was 40 years ago? Consumers, by their purchasing behavior and product reviews, are telling us to give them a better product. Could our model be wrong? I believe the answer lies in the following question: Who is more likely to tune your radio the way you like it, you or someone else? Ask yourself, what information do we rely upon for determining if a person hears well? The subjective response of the user. But, how do we use that information? We use objective formulas to standardize the hearing aid in our fitting process. None of our fitting tools tells us when the subjective sound quality of the hearing aid is amplifying the actual “sweet spot” of the user. Only the user knows when that happens. Think of it. With thousands of variables and possibilities, only the user knows when the fitting is right. We need to design our fitting tools to be responsive to the experience of the user. In essence, we need to devise tools that allow the users to test and fit themselves. HARRY ROSSMAN, MS, CCC-A New Richmond, WI
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