IHS - International Hearing Society Verification and Validation Methods Questions and Answers

Question 1

A client returns for a follow-up appointment two weeks after being fitted with new hearing aids.
The practitioner wants to use a standardized questionnaire to efficiently assess the overall success of the fitting, including daily use, benefit, satisfaction, and quality of life.
Which of the following validation tools is most suitable for this purpose?

Accepted Answer

International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA)

Answer

Real Ear Insertion Gain (REIG)

Answer

Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly - Screening (HHIE-S)

Answer

Otoscopy

Question 2

In probe microphone measurements, what does the Real Ear Aided Response (REAR) represent?

Accepted Answer

The sound pressure level at the eardrum for a specific input signal with the hearing aid turned on and in place.

Answer

The difference in sound pressure level between the unaided and aided conditions.

Answer

The sound pressure level measured in a 2cc coupler in a test box.

Answer

The patient's subjective rating of loudness for a given input signal.

Question 3

A patient is skeptical about the benefit of directional microphone technology in their new hearing aids. Which of the following verification procedures would be the most effective objective demonstration of this feature?

Accepted Answer

Comparing speech mapping results with a signal from the front (0° azimuth) versus a signal from the rear (180° azimuth).

Answer

Administering the APHAB questionnaire before and after activating the feature.

Answer

Increasing the overall gain in the programming software to make sounds louder.

Answer

Performing functional gain testing in the soundfield with a single speaker.

Question 4

Which of the following is considered a method of hearing aid validation, not verification?

Accepted Answer

Using the Client Oriented Scale of Improvement (COSI).

Answer

Speech mapping to prescriptive targets.

Answer

Measuring Real Ear Insertion Gain (REIG).

Answer

Test box analysis against manufacturer specifications.

Question 5

A client fitted using a prescriptive formula reports that speech is clear, but certain environmental sounds, like running water or a kitchen fan, are uncomfortably loud. The initial verification was performed using only an average speech signal. What is the most appropriate next step using real-ear verification?

Accepted Answer

Measure the Real Ear Aided Response for a loud input (e.g., REAR85 or REAR90) to check the MPO setting.

Answer

Switch to a different prescriptive formula like NAL-NL2 or DSL v5.

Answer

Perform unaided soundfield testing to re-establish hearing thresholds.

Answer

Decrease the overall gain across all channels by 10 dB.

Question 6

The primary purpose of using the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire is to:

Accepted Answer

Quantify the amount of difficulty a patient experiences in various listening situations, comparing their performance with and without hearing aids.

Answer

Determine the specific listening situations that are most important to an individual client.

Answer

Measure the electroacoustic characteristics of the hearing aid in a test box.

Answer

Screen for 'red flag' conditions that require medical referral before a fitting.