- April 19, 2024
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REM is the objective calibration of the prescription in your hearing aids.
It is how we make sure that the sounds that your hearing aids produce in your ear are appropriate for your hearing loss and that speech is as clear as possible. This calibration optimizes the way your hearing aids sound. We make precise adjustments in the physical and acoustic fit so the sounds coming out of your hearing aids in your ear match your prescription, which are the levels where you will hear the best.
You will be positioned in front of a set of speakers with your hearing aids and a small probe in each ear. Your provider will play a series of calibrated sounds that include all the frequencies of speech, and program the settings in your hearing aids as they measure the output of sound from your aids. Real-ear measurements are important because they measure how a hearing aid’s volume and pitch are affected by your individual ear size and shape. Finally, we make the appropriate adjustments based on your audiogram, the response we see on the computer screen and your feedback. We also use evidence-based amplification targets to help guide our decisions as to how to set the volume of the hearing aids. Real-ear measurements allow us to apply the hearing aid fitting to your specific ear.
The result is that your hearing aid settings are accurate for the size and shape of your ear and for your hearing loss.
Our mission is to practice audiology to the gold standard of care, using evidenced-based practice and protocols; which means we practice audiology based on information and evidence from our audiology research community. The audiology research community continuously publishes peer reviewed studies to help doctors better understand and treat hearing loss.
Real-ear measurements have been proven by the audiology research community as the gold standard for hearing aid fitting verification.
Unfortunately, there are many hearing care providers who do not use real-ear measurements in their practice. This results in less accuracy and satisfaction with hearing aids for many patients. We use real-ear measurements because our mission is to serve our patients by providing the best care possible. According to evidence-based practice, the best audiological care cannot be provided without the use of real-ear measurements.
