Sunday, May 14, 2006
REMs
or real ear measurements..it's a standard procedure in our department to ensure optimal fitting of hearing aids to prescription targets based on the program set by MHAS (Modernising Hearing Aid Services).
i honestly did not know much about it (i was probably Zzzzzz-ing during lectures! =p) till i came here in uk to work. i think it's more because we didn't get to fit much aids in pinas. most of the patients that came my way were for diagnosis and when they needed rehabilitation, they're passed on to my colleague (and good friend) hubert up at the centre for audiological sciences.
i also blame it on the fact that hearing aid fits (esp. digital aids) were scarce as there are only a handful who can afford them. man, they're expensive! also, the probe tips that we used during practicals were so thick, i wouldn't have them inserted in my own ears! just so scared im gonna bust the pt's. tm with it.
but coming here, i was 'forced' to learn it by heart (have i?). i can certainly do it with eyes closed (well..just an exaggeration *lol*). anyways, what is it really and why do we have to do it?
What?
REMs allow your audiologist to evaluate the function of your hearing aids while you are wearing them. This evaluation guides your audiologist in making the necessary adjustments to assure optimal amplification.The shapes and sizes of everyone's ears, ear canals and head are quite different, and the degree and type of hearing loss varies from individual to individual. As a result, identical hearing aids may function quite differently in one person's ear than on another person's ear.
How?
To perform REM, your audiologist will place a tiny microphone into your ear canal. Sounds are then presented to the open ear to measure the effects of your open ear canal on the sound. Your hearing aid is then inserted and measures are made of the same exact sound in your ear canal with the aid in place. The difference between the two measurements is called the real-ear insertion gain of your hearing aid. It tells your audiologist a great deal about the quality of the sound you are receiving.
Once the real-ear insertion gain of your hearing aid is known, it can be compared to widely used amplification prescriptions, such as the National Acoustic Laboratories-Revised (NAL-R) prescription, the Libby prescription, or the Prescription of Gain and Output (POGO). ****In our case, we use NAL-NL1****
Why?
If there are differences in the prescribed sound quality and the measured sound of the aid, your audiologist can make necessary adjustments and take new measurements to fine-tune your hearing aid to provide the best possible sound, and therefore, the most possible benefit.
from: ACA (audiological consultants of atlanta)
a more detailed explanation of REMs can be found here
so, whatdyathink? =p
