Frequency Lowering Validation for Neuro and Thrive Platforms
Product Information: Neuro & Thrive Platforms
The Neuro & Thrive Platforms are advanced hearing aid
systems designed to provide improved sound quality and
intelligibility for users. These platforms incorporate features
such as frequency lowering, adjustment guides, patient reports, and
own voice optimization.
Frequency Lowering Validation
The frequency lowering feature helps users with high-frequency
hearing loss by shifting high-frequency sounds to lower frequencies
where they can be heard more easily. To validate the effectiveness
of frequency lowering, follow the instructions below:
- Turn off frequency lowering.
- Present words from a plural word list (available on page 2)
while masking lipreading cues. - Ask the patient to repeat the word.
- Mark the response as correct or incorrect.
- Calculate the patient’s score in percent correct.
- Turn on frequency lowering and use an alternate word list to
repeat the test and obtain the patient’s score. - Compare the patient’s scores to evaluate the effectiveness of
frequency lowering.
Follow-Up Adjustment Guide
The follow-up adjustment guide helps in fine-tuning the settings
of the hearing aid based on specific issues reported by the
patient. The guide provides recommendations for adjusting gain,
bandwidth, and other parameters to address common issues such as
own voice distortion, unnatural sounds, difficulty detecting
certain sounds, and sound quality artifacts.
Patient Report
The patient report feature allows clinicians to generate reports
based on the patient’s usage and performance. These reports can
help in tracking progress, identifying areas of improvement, and
making informed adjustments to optimize the hearing aid settings
for individual users.
Tips
After the initial acclimatization period, it is recommended to
validate any changes made in the settings to ensure they provide
maximum benefit to the patient.
Plural Word Lists for Frequency Lowering Validation
Use the following word lists during frequency lowering
validation:
| List 1 | List 2 | List 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Key | Play | Coat |
| Days | Ears | Floors |
| Plays | Keys | Signs |
| Toys | Clouds | Eye |
| Cities | Brick | Book |
| Bricks | City | Frogs |
| Pig | Way | Boat |
| Cloud | Toys | Card |
| Ways | Pigs | Cave |
| Ear | Day | Pen |
There are additional word lists available for further
validation.
Note: The complete word lists and scoring information can be
found on page 2 of the user manual.
Neuro & Thrive Platforms
QUICKTIP
Frequency Lowering Validation
Instructions for Live Voice Validation
1 With frequency lowering off, present words from a plural word list (available on page 2) while masking lipreading cues. 2 Ask the patient to repeat the word. 3 Mark the response as correct or incorrect. 4 Calculate the patient’s score in percent correct. 5 With frequency lowering on, use an alternate list and repeat test to obtain the patient’s score. 6 Compare patient’s scores:
· The goal is for the patient to achieve an improvement in performance feature ON versus OFF (ideally greater than or equal to 20%)
· If improvement is not achieved, increase Gain in 1 dB steps and re-evaluate performance · If approximately two or three increases in Gain do not yield better performance, return the Gain to 3 dB
and increase the Bandwidth setting by one step and re-evaluate performance. · Continue to adjust Gain and/or Bandwidth as needed to achieve a performance improvement · Ensure that final settings are comfortable for the patient NOTE: At the time of the first fitting with frequency lowering, the professional should focus on adjustments required to maximize benefit and ensure comfort. The patient’s report of sound quality should be considered at the time of follow-up once a period of acclimatization has been provided to ensure that intial settings are not adjusted to levels that would be unhelpful. 7 Use the Fitting Adjustment Guide below to make adjustments for sound quality, if needed at a follow-up visit. Repeat behavioral validation procedure to ensure settings provide patient benefit.
Follow-Up Adjustment Guide
Patient Report
Adjustment
OWN VOICE
Own voice sounds like static Decrease Grain, Decrease
or echo
Bandwidth
Considerations
Adjust Gain first. If reports persist, adjust Bandwidth.
/s/ sounds too lispy
Decrease Gain
Keep in mind that a slight `lisp’ on /s/ sounds is normal.
INTELLIGIBILITY
/s/ sounds too unnatural
Decrease Bandwidth
Difficulty detecting /s/sounds Increase Gain or identifying plural sounds Increase Bandwidth
Adjust Gain first. If report persists, adjust Bandwidth.
Other voices echo
Decrease Bandwidth Decrease Gain
Adjust Bandwidth first. If report persists, adjust Gain.
SOUND QUALITY
Echo or lisp artifacts
Decrease Bandwidth
Processing too noticeable Decrease Gain
Alternatively decrease Bandwidth and Gain until report is resolved.
Plural Word Lists For Frequency Lowering Validation
List 1 Key Days Plays Toys Cities Bricks Pig Cloud Ways Ear TOTAL:
List 4 Coat Floors Sign Eyes Books Frogs Boat Cards Cave Pens TOTAL:
Score Score
List 2 Play Ears Keys Clouds Brick City Way Toys Pigs Day TOTAL:
List 5 Hat Lists Pear Carts Shine Rats Reeds Guards Part Cry TOTAL:
Score Score
List 3 Coats Floor Signs Eye Book Frogs Boats Card Caves Pen TOTAL:
List 6 Cart Shines Cries Hats List Guard Parts Rat Reed Pears TOTAL:
Score Score
Tips
· Consider using more than 10 words per condition for greater reliability · Have a family member or friend present the words to the patient to assess benefit using a more meaningful voice · Introduce a greater distance between speaker and patient to make the task more challenging · Consider repeating the behavioral validation procedure at the time of follow-up to look for further improvement
following acclimatization and/or to validate any change made in settings designed to make the feature more advantageous to the patient
The Starkey logo and Thrive are trademarks of Starkey Laboratories, Inc. ©2023 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 1/23 FLYR4092-00-EN-SC
