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10/27/2018  |   1:15 PM - 2:00 PM   |  Kramer Lecture Theater 2

eHealth Models for Using Self-adjusted Hearing Aid Amplification

Hearing loss has a profound impact on one’s emotional, social and economic well-being. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of hearing loss has increased by 100 million in just five years, and it is expected to rise to 900 million by 2050. An additional 1.1 billion young people (12-35) are at risk of developing hearing loss from recreational acoustic trauma. The alarming increase in the prevalence of hearing loss puts increased pressure on an already strained model of delivering hearing healthcare. Untreated hearing loss is a silent epidemic with an annual global cost of 750 billion dollars. The main reasons for living with untreated hearing loss are excessively high cost, limited access to skilled practitioners and stigma related to wearing hearing aids. Current hearing aid production can only meet 10% of the global demand. Hearing rehabilitation is inaccessible for the majority of the 90% of the population with disabling hearing loss who live in low or middle-income countries due to limited access to skilled professionals (1:800K or 1.625 million and prohibitively high cost of hearing aids or cochlear implants. These barriers often leave afflicted individuals with no other option but to resort to a life of isolation and stigmatization with dire educational achievements and vocational outcomes. This paper will present a proof of concept study on the development of a lean audiology service delivery model that aims to increase access to affordable hearing healthcare by leveraging recent innovations in automation. This study tested an eHealth model of hearing healthcare delivery using a mobile-application to conduct a self-administered automated hearing screening and hearing-aid fitting. Results will be presented regarding the effectiveness of using self-adjusted hearing devices to improve access to hearing healthcare in under-resourced communities.

• Audience will learn about emerging technologies for hearing healthcare delivery
• Audience will learn about effectiveness of self-adjusted hearing aids
• Audience will learn about how self-adjusted hearing aids could be used to improve access to amplification

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Evelyn Davies-Venn (POC,Primary Presenter), University of Minnesota, venn@umn.edu;
Evelyn Davies-Venn AuD., Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences at the University of Minnesota. She earned her AuD and Ph.D. from the University of Washington. She completed post-doctoral training at Purdue University. Her research examines factors that influence individual variance in amplification outcomes and aims to use this information to customize and optimize the hearing aid fitting process. Secondly, she also explores eHealth models for improving access to effective amplification and quality hearing healthcare.

ASHA DISCLOSURE: Financial - Nonfinancial -

AAA DISCLOSURE: Financial - No relevant financial relationship exists.