Evaluation of auditory reality and hearing aids using an ecological momentary assessment ( EMA ) approach

Knowledge about the acoustic environments experienced by an individual and how the listening experience is affected by hearing loss and hearing aids is important when developing solutions for people with hearing loss. Acquiring this type of knowledge calls for an assessment method that can be applied in real time while a listener experiences a specific listening situation in real life. This ability is a characteristic of the ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methodology. In this article, we report on a study in which 16 participants with hearing loss used a newly developed EMA smartphone app to answer questions about their current listening situation and to compare two different hearing-aid programs in that situation. The participants answered the questions when prompted by the app (according to a predetermined time schedule) or when initiating the app themselves. The participants also evaluated the usability of the app. Besides responses from the participants, the app also collected data from the hearing aids during the assessments. The main results from the study are presented, and potential benefits and challenges of using the EMA approach in hearing research are discussed.