Week One Flashcards
(37 cards)
What is acoustic gain?
The amount of amplification that is added
What is the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)?
The ratio of the level of the signal to the level of the noise.
SNR:
0 = same level
Positive = speech is louder
Negative = noise is louder
What is the signal-to-noise ratio loss?
The amount of difficulty you have understanding speech in background noise compared to someone with normal hearing.
The greater the SNR loss, the more difficulty you have understanding speech in noise.
When did the first hearing aid devices emerge and what were they like?
- First emerged in the 1600’s
- Mechanical devices
- Works of art
- Became commercially available in the 1800’s
- Very expensive
- Concealment a focus of the device
What advancements in hearing aids occurred in the early 1900’s?
- The invention of the carbon tube allowed devices to move from mechanical to electrical
- Devices had: external power, carbon microphone, an amplifier and a receiver (all components found in modern aids).
How did hearing aids change in the 1930’s?
The combining of both the amplifier and the microphone allowed the devices to become even smaller.
Concealment was still a goal.
What improvement was made in 1947?
The transistor allowed us to have batteries in devices and make them even smaller.
What improvement was made in 1965?
- The integrated circuit allowed them to become even smaller
- Clinician made custom ear moulds for each individual.
What was the main audiological rehab centre after WWII?
Walter Reed Army Medical Centre
What has been the biggest change between the birth of modern audiology and today?
- Audiologists began to sell hearing aids.
- Before this, audiologists were not able to sell hearing aids and would instead write a prescription.
- Audiologists wanted change as they argued clients needed continued care, follow-up, counseling, adjustment and training.
- Change came as a result of a large group of audiologists threatening to boycott ASHA in 1979.
What is the main future direction in audiology?
- Having a well-informed and empowered consumer base
- Some digital transformation and technical innovations
- Challenging and changing contexts of care
How does the Ida institute define person-centred care?
- People are equal and active partners in management of their hearing difficulties
- Designed around the individual
- Respectful of people’s needs and preferences
- Involves family and other communication partners
- Shared goal setting and decision making
What is a hearable device?
Wearables that have some capacity to improve or customise your hearing (e.g., airpod pros)
What is a personal sound amplifying product (PSAPs)?
Similar to hearables, but their only function is to amplify sound.
What are over-the-counter hearing aids?
Devices that are sold directly to the consumer without a hearing professional.
Can be self-fitted devices.
What is tele-audiology?
When practitioners interact with clients through a phone call or video call.
After the lock-down, 86% of audiologists said they would continue to offer tele-audiology post-covid.
What is implicit bias?
Automatic and unintentional judgements, decisions and behaviours we make.
What is a micro aggression?
Implicit bias often manifests itself as a microaggression.
A microaggression is a subtle action or comment that harms people in the non-dominant groups.
Groups that often experience microaggressions include: culturally and linguistically diverse, gender, race, age, religion, body shape.
How much of an audiologist’s revenue comes from hearing aid sales?
85%
What is a KPI and when is it a red flag
A key performance indicator
A red flag is when the KPI is based solely on hearing aid sales and doesn’t take into account patient satisfaction or other areas.
What are some key ideas Hawkins et al., found in their ethics study?
Similarities between what consumers and audiologists find unethical
- Taking audiologist and spouse to dinner to discuss HA’s (48%, 41%)
- Attend workshop paid for by HA company (32%, 38%)
- Receiving a salary + commission (19%, 26%)
Differences between what consumers and audiologists found unethical
- Getting a $100 voucher per high end product (69%, 85%)
- Credits per HA purchased for gifts (31%, 85%)
- Equipment for purchasing HAs per year (51%, 85%)
Area of biggest growth
- Attend workshop paid for by HA company (17-32%)
Who are the “big 4” hearing aid manufacturers and their market share?
- Sonova 31%
- Demant 30%
- WS Audiology 19%
- GN Nord Store 15%
What are the details of the Sonova manufacturer?
- Founded 1947 in Switzerland
- Brands: phonak, unitron, Advanced bionics
- Retail outlets: Triton Hearing, Blamey Saunders
- Other revenue: Sennheiser
What are the details of the Demant manufacturer?
- Founded in 1904 in Denmark
- Founded the Ida Institute
- Make cochlear implants until 2022
- Brands: Oticon, Bernafon, Sonic Innovation, Oticon Medical (bone anchored hearing aids)
- Retail outlets: Audika, Hearing Life
- Other revenues: Diagnostic equipment, Phonic Ear
