IHS Verification and Validation Methods 2

Question 1

Which real-ear measurement (REM) probe placement technique minimizes the risk of the probe tube touching the eardrum?

Accepted Answer

Placing the probe tip within 5–6 mm of the eardrum

Answer

The probe tube should be positioned within 5–6 mm of the tympanic membrane to capture accurate sound pressure measurements while avoiding contact with the eardrum.

Question 2

What does the Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) measure in the context of hearing aid validation?

Accepted Answer

The percentage of speech sounds audible to the patient given the hearing aid response

Answer

The SII quantifies the proportion of speech cues made audible by a hearing aid fitting, with higher values correlating with better predicted speech understanding.

Question 3

During functional gain measurement, what is the primary limitation compared to real-ear insertion gain?

Accepted Answer

Functional gain reflects aided versus unaided thresholds and is limited by test-retest variability

Answer

Functional gain is the difference between aided and unaided sound-field thresholds, making it susceptible to variability and unable to capture supra-threshold performance.

Question 4

When validating a pediatric hearing aid fitting using the Desired Sensation Level (DSL) method, which speech level is typically used for verification targets?

Accepted Answer

65 dB SPL conversational speech

Answer

DSL targets are typically verified at 65 dB SPL to represent average conversational speech levels for fitting children.

Question 5

What is the purpose of the aided audiogram in hearing aid validation?

Accepted Answer

To assess whether amplified speech cues fall within the speech banana for patient counseling

Answer

The aided audiogram shows which speech frequencies become audible with amplification, helping clinicians counsel patients and visually confirm benefit.

IHS - International Hearing Society Practice Test

IHS - International Hearing Society Practice Test

IHS Verification and Validation Methods 2