Hearing aids.

Abstract

The first step in the hearing aid fitting and selection process is to determine the patient's hearing disability, motivation, lifestyle, finances, and cosmetic concerns. Most hearing impairments can be helped with a modern hearing aid. With a symmetric hearing loss, a binaural fitting provides the most benefit and should be attempted initially. The binaural fitting may not be successful in cases with large asymmetries in auditory function. The advances in electronic technology, such as the digital hearing aid, are moving faster than the research to determine which is the most effective signal processing method. The near future should yield more significant improvements in hearing aids that will provide a better quality of life of the hearing-impaired population.