Table 7.
Summary of the 16 Hearing Aid Outcome Measures in the NIDCD/VA Study
| Outcome Category | Variable | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hearing aid Usage | Daily use | Mean hours per day hearing aid usage from Form 8, Q #1 |
| Weighted Use | Daily use, weighted by number of aids worn and whether aids were worn everyday, Form 8, Q #2 & #3 | |
| Subjective Benefit | PHAB-ec | Mean, ease of communication PHAB subscale |
| PHAB-cft | Mean, communication with familiar talkers PHAB subscale | |
| PHAB-cbn | Mean, communication in background noise PHAB subscale | |
| PHAB-rv | Mean, communication in reverberation PHAB subscale | |
| PHAB-rc | Mean, communication with reduced cues PHAB subscale | |
| Satisfaction | HA-prob | Score from Form 8, Q #4; 14 items; no problems=100; problems with both hearing aids on all 14 items=0 |
| Weighted HA-prob | HA-prob, weighted by whether problems resulted in decreased use of hearing aids (Form 8, Q #5) | |
| Satisfaction-Rating | Scale of 1–10 (10=best); hearing aid rated (Form 8, Q #6) | |
| Speech Recognition | CST62n-unaided | Percent correct on CST, 62 dB SPL, +8 dB SNR*, unaided |
| CST74n-unaided | Percent correct on CST, 74 dB SPL, +2 dB SNR, unaided | |
| CST74q-unaided | Percent correct on CST, 74 dB SPL, quiet, unaided | |
| CST62n-aided | Percent correct on CST, 62 dB SPL, +8 dB SNR, aided | |
| CST74n-aided | Percent correct on CST, 74 dB SPL, +2 dB SNR, aided | |
| CST74q-aided | Percent correct on CST, 74 dB SPL, quiet, aided |
CST, Connected Speech Test; PHAB, Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit; SNR, signal-to-noise ratio (dB). NIDCD/VA, National Institute of Deafness and other Communication Disorders/Veterans Administration.
*
SNR values varied in the NIDCD/VA study from subject to subject. The median SNR value for the 62 dB SPL presentation condition was +5 dB. Other SNR values were 3 dB higher and lower than this middle value (ie, additional SNR values of +8 and +2 dB).