Hearing Loss Simulator

Hearing Loss Simulator demonstrates the effects of the patient's hearing loss using a variety of sounds and their audiogram or audiometric presets. Different display options, visual aids, and drawing tools help facilitate the patient's and their family's understanding of the impact of their hearing loss on specific environmental and speech sounds. A copy of the simulation can be printed and given to the patient for reference.

Hearing Loss Simulator GraphHearing Loss Simulator Graph

 

The Hearing Loss Simulator graph includes elementary labels to assist in explaining the patient's hearing loss on the audiogram. Low Pitch and High Pitch display across the top, Soft Sounds and Loud Sounds display along the left side, and Normal Hearing and Needs Amplification display vertically along the right side.

Audiograms, Overlays, and SoundsAudiograms, Overlays, and Sounds

 

The patient's audiogram (Noah or PatientBase), a normal audiogram, or a preset audiogram can be used during the simulation. The normal audiogram can be selected to demonstrate normal hearing or compare different hearing losses to normal hearing. Common and/or speech sounds and speech spectrum overlays can be displayed over the audiogram to illustrate the sounds that may be difficult for the patient to hear. In addition, sounds can be played through the computer's speakers by clicking on one or several images. To further demonstrate hearing challenges, audio files can also be played or recorded via Media Player.

  1. Click Hearing Loss Simulator on the Connect Toolbar.
  2. Pro Fit automatically defaults to a binaural view if applicable. To display only the right or left ear side, click Select Right Only or Select Left Only.
  3. Click Patient Patient to display the patient's audiogram, click Normal Normal to display the normal audiogram, or click Preset Preset to display a preset audiogram.
    Note:  If an audiogram exists for the patient in Noah or PatientBase, it automatically defaults. If the patient does not have an audiogram, the Patient button is disabled and the Normal audiogram automatically defaults. If Choose an Audiogram Choose an Audiogram is selected, three columns of preset audiograms display in order of severity. The first column represents mild hearing loss, the second represents moderate, and the third represents severe. If a preset audiogram is selected and either Patient or Normal is later selected, the previously selected preset audiogram is retained (e.g., cookie bite); therefore, if Preset is selected again, the previously selected audiogram (e.g., cookie bite) redisplays. A different preset audiogram can be selected per ear side.
  4. Click Common Sounds Show Common Sounds to display five common sound images on the audiogram, click Speech Sounds Display Speech Sounds to display speech phonemes, click Speech Spectrum Display Speech Spectrum to display a gray shaded region representing conversational speech with three people images (male, female, and child), and/or click Articulation Index 2D View to display the patient’s level of speech recognition based on the audiogram data.
    Note:  Articulation Index is not available if Normal audiogram is selected. The Articulation Index is calculated using the 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz thresholds between the horizontal boundaries of 20 and 45 dB HL. It represents the percentage of the average speech signal that is audible.
  5. Click on one or several images to play the sound.
    Note:  Only the images displayed on the Common Sounds and Speech Spectrum overlays can be played. Multiple sound files can be played at the same time. Audio files can be played or recorded via Media Player. Any image(s) and/or audio file activated plays according to the audiogram selected for the ear side. If a different audiogram is selected while an image(s) and/or audio file is playing, the thresholds are automatically adjusted based on the new audiogram.
  6. Click Stop Sounds Stop to stop all sounds currently playing.
    Tip:  Click on the image(s) currently playing to stop the sound. Subsequent clicks of the image(s) toggle between playing and stopping the sound.
    Note:  Clicking Stop Sounds Stop does not stop an audio file from playing via Media Player. To stop an audio file playing via Media Player, click Stop Stop.
  7. To draw on the audiogram, click the desired color from the palette Color.
  8. Click Arrow Arrow to draw an arrow or click Rectangle to draw a rectangle.
    Note:  If an image(s) and/or audio file are playing, they're not stopped while in drawing mode. Audio files can be stopped, played, etc., while in drawing mode, but images cannot. Images can be stopped or played once drawing mode has been exited .
  9. Place the mouse pointer where you want to start the arrow or where to originate the rectangle. Press and hold the left mouse button, drag in any direction until the desired length or size is attained, and then release the left mouse button.
    Tip:  Click Undo Undo to reverse the last drawing action. If more than one drawing action were performed, subsequent clicks would reverse multiple drawings in the opposite order in which they were drawn.
  10. To draw additional arrows or rectangles in different colors, repeat steps 7-9.
  11. Click Exit Drawing Mode to discontinue drawing and hide the drawings.
    Tip:  To redisplay the drawings, click Arrow Arrow or Rectangle .
    Note:  Images can now be stopped or played.
  12. Click File from the Menu Bar and click Print to print and/or preview the Hearing Loss Simulator report if desired.
    Note:  Once another Pro Fit screen is accessed, all drawings are erased, and if an image(s) and/or audio file is currently playing, it's automatically stopped.