Scene-specific self-tuning of hearing aids (Kurşun et al., 2025)

<p dir="ltr"><b>Purpose: </b>Individual older adults with hearing loss often have unique communication needs that vary across different listening conditions. The current study examined whether user-directed fine-tuning of hearing aid programs specifically for different sound scenes would improve perceived speech quality.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Method: </b>Thirty older adult participants were recruited based on self-reported hearing challenges or pure-tone audiometry indicating a hearing loss. Participants self-tuned the hearing aid frequency-gain characteristics while listening to continuous speech embedded in background noise, presented as simulated real-world sound scenes. The self-tuning procedure was conducted in two sound scenes, “Noisy Indoor” and “Noisy Outdoor,” with an average speech level at 60 dB(A) and signal-to-noise ratios of +5 dB and +10 dB, respectively. Speech quality ratings were collected for each scene using an interface inspired by the Multiple Stimuli with Hidden Reference and Anchor method. In each sound scene, participants rated four programs: two self-tuned, one standard prescription based, and one poor-quality anchor. The order of presentation was randomized and blinded.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Results: </b>Results showed that participants rated their self-tuned programs tailored to specific scenes significantly higher compared to both the prescription-based program and their self-tuned program for the other scene.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Conclusion: </b>User-driven self-tuning procedures can be useful to capture scene-specific preferences for hearing aid settings and improve the perceived speech quality.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Supplemental Material S1. </b>Instructions before the self-tuning procedure.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Supplemental Material S2. </b>Comparison of long and short procedures.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Supplemental Material S3.</b> Real-ear insertion gains.</p><p dir="ltr">Kurşun, B., Chessik, B., Cunio, I. E., & Shen, Y. (2025). Scene-specific self-tuning of hearing aids enhances perceived speech quality. <i>American Journal of Audiology</i>. Advance online publication. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_AJA-25-00077" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_AJA-25-00077</a></p>