Authors: Frederic Marmel¹; Dina Lelic¹; Laura Balling²
¹ORCA Labs; ²WS Audiology
Background: Clinical audiology aims to enable seamless participation in everyday life, including effective communication, enjoyment of music, and awareness of surrounding environments. Central to this goal is the ability to adapt comfortably to hearing aids (HAs). However, achieving an optimal hearing experience is challenging, as no single sound design meets the preferences of all individuals. Previous research on sound preference has shown that, when comparing HAs with two distinct sound designs, about 40% of listeners prefer one of the two designs. This finding led us to investigate the potential clinical benefits of assessing sound preferences in clinics to support HA recommendations.
Method: We developed the Sound Preference Tool (SPT; https://soundpreference.net), a clinical tool that lets patients compare two HA sound designs that are based on fundamentally different processing architectures. The SPT probes preferences for five everyday situations, asks which sound design was preferred overall, and issues a recommendation. To evaluate clinical benefits, 48 clinicians used the SPT in their clinical workflow to support their HA recommendations. We assess the effect and experience of the SPT by comparing clinical records before and after clinicians implemented it in their workflow.
Results: Preliminary results based on 432 patients confirm previous findings that ~40% of patients have a moderate or strong preference for one or the other sound design. Using the SPT was easy for most patients, but some older patients experienced difficulties. Clinicians reported that the SPT supports more patient-centered conversations, helps decision making, and encourages a broader recommendation approach, reducing single-brand bias. Data collection is ongoing.
Conclusion: The SPT was received positively by both clinicians and patients and adds to existing evidence that a substantial proportion of patients have a strong or moderate preference for a specific sound design.
