One year follow-up of users of a digital hearing aid

A follow-up study has been performed on 29 of 33 original subjects who participated in a clinical trial of the digital hearing aid Oticon DigiFocus. The follow-up was performed after one year's use. Use of hearing instruments was assessed and questionnaires on hearing aid benefit, and hearing impairment and handicap were administered. Ratings of sound quality and measurements of speech recognition in noise were also performed. The results indicated almost doubled daily use of hearing aids as compared to that stated for the subjects' previous analogue aids one year earlier. Further: we found statistically significant improvements in speech recognition in noise one year post-fitting as compared to after one month. Other test results were essentially unchanged over time; no measure showed a significantly poorer rating or performance.