New hearing aid users prefer first-fit settings in Phonak Infinio compared to a key competitor

The need for a period of acclimatization following initial hearing aid fitting is based on the assumption that, for most first-time hearing aid users, the sudden restoration of sound input after years or decades of gradual decline in hearing sensitivity may be overwhelming at first but will ease with continued exposure to amplified sound. To expedite this process, it is typically recommended that first-time hearing aid users wear their devices as much as possible.

Presumably, the more natural and comfortable the sound from the hearing aid is, the more likely new users will be to adhere to the recommended daily wear time. Thus, it would be ideal if these first-time aid users found the sound quality of the hearing aids to be exceptional from the first moment.

A study conducted in early 2024 at the Phonak Audiology Research Center (PARC) revealed that this is precisely what Phonak Infinio devices deliver.

The Adaptive Phonak Digital (APD) 3.0 fitting formula – introduced on the Infinio platform – includes new frequency response curves designed to enhance general sound quality. The purpose of the PARC study was to assess first fit acceptance of APD 3.0, compared to a key competitor device.

Study design and methods
Study participants were 15 adults between the ages of 43 and 76 with bilateral mild to moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss, per pure tone audiometry completed no longer than 6 months prior to study enrollment. Participants had no recent experience with amplification, and none had ever owned hearing aids.*

• Phonak Audéo Infinio and competitor RIC devices were programmed according to first-time user gain settings prescribed by the respective manufacturer fitting software, and fit to the participants using the recommended non-custom acoustic coupling. So as to truly test acceptance of first-fit settings, no fine tuning was offered or applied, though a feedback test was completed for each set of devices.

• Participants were asked to provide satisfaction ratings for each device based on a spoken narration presented through a loudspeaker at a typical conversational level (“Speaker’s Voice”), and a written speech passage which they read aloud (“Own Voice”).

• Devices were referred to only as “Hearing Aid A” (Phonak) and “Hearing Aid B” (competitor) so that the participants were blinded as to which device they were wearing. Hearing aid order was randomized across participants.

Results: Satisfaction and preference

Participants were more satisfied with the loudness and sound quality of the Phonak devices than that of the competitor device, particularly for their own voice (see Figure 1). Further, 80% of participants indicated that the Phonak Infinio sounded “good” or “excellent” at first fit.

And when asked to choose which set of hearing aids they most preferred overall, 14 of the 15 participants chose the Phonak Infinio device over the competitor device.

Implications for hearing care providers

These findings serve as evidence of the success of APD 3.0 in improving overall sound quality without sacrificing audibility or listening comfort. Results of this study suggest that hearing care providers can expect that their clients will experience exceptional sound quality from the first fit, yielding higher satisfaction among first-time hearing aid users.

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* While the decision to exclude any participant with recent or more than short-term (i.e., ~2 weeks) experience with hearing aids yielded a relatively small sample size, limiting the cohort to novice listeners effectively avoided the risk of bias towards participants’ own brand of amplification.

To learn more about this study, we invite you read the full article on the Phonak Evidence page.

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References:

Stewart, E., Adler, M., Seitz-Paquette, K. (2024). Adaptive Phonak Digital (APD) 3.0 is the preferred first fit compared to a leading competitor device. Phonak Field Study News, retrieved from phonak.com/evidence.