American Journal of Audiology最新文献

{"title":"Associations Between Predisposing, Enabling, and Need Factors and Hours of Daily Hearing Aid Use in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.","authors":"Nicholas S Reed, Kening Jiang, Sarah Y Bessen, Grace Gahlon, Osama Tarabichi, Clarice Myers, Alison Huang, Danielle Powell, Frank R Lin, Jennifer A Deal","doi":"10.1044/2025_AJA-24-00251","DOIUrl":"10.1044/2025_AJA-24-00251","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Hearing aids are the primary treatment for age-related hearing loss but are vastly underutilized. We explored cross-sectional associations between predisposing, enabling, and need factors and hours of daily hearing aid use.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>In the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, 764 participants at Visit 6 (2016-2017) reported hearing aid use. Self-reported hours of daily hearing aid use were modeled continuously (hours) and categorically (< 6, 6-12, and > 12 hr). Covariates included predisposing (age, sex, race-center), enabling (education, marital status, years of prior hearing aid use, global cognitive factor score, depressive symptoms, access to health care, health literacy), and need factors (pure-tone average [PTA], Quick Speech-in-Noise Test [QuickSIN] score). Multivariable-adjusted linear and ordinal logistic models were used to examine associations between these factors and daily hearing aid use.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Every 1-year increase in prior hearing aid use was associated with 0.08-hr increase in daily hearing aid use (95% confidence interval [CI] [0.04, 0.13]); every 10-dB increase in PTA was associated with 0.63-hr increase in daily hearing aid use (95% CI [0.18, 1.08]); every 5-point increase in QuickSIN score was associated with 0.53-hr decrease in daily hearing aid use (95% CI [-0.99, -0.06]). Longer duration of prior hearing aid use and poor PTA and QuickSIN performance were associated with higher odds of being in a higher hearing aid use category.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Hours of daily hearing aid use is driven primarily by audiometric hearing, SIN performance, and years of prior hearing aid use. Further research into determinants of hours of use can improve precision of hearing care.</p><p><strong>Supplemental material: </strong>https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.30192826.</p>","PeriodicalId":49241,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Audiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145226171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Veterans Integrated Service Network 19 Hub-and-Spoke Model for Asynchronous Automated Audiometry.","authors":"Michele Gortemaker, Tristan Lien","doi":"10.1044/2025_AJA-25-00051","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_AJA-25-00051","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>In fiscal year 2020 (FY20), the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) initiated a pilot study to determine whether automated audiometry could be used in conjunction with asynchronous telehealth systems to increase access points for audiologic services to Veterans across multiple VHA locations.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 19 was provided funding from the Office of Rural Health (ORH) to take on this pilot project to trial a hub-and-spoke model of asynchronous automated audiometry service delivery. With this care model, the patient and trained telepresenter are in one location utilizing the testing equipment, and the results are collected and transmitted to the patient record. The audiologist then reviews the stored results from within the patient record, diagnoses as able based on results, and provides follow-up care to the Veteran via video or telephone visit, at which time a further care plan is developed.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Although there were many challenges with the equipment procurement and supply chain in the postpandemic world, 16 of the initial 20 sites across the region were launched by the end of FY24. As a result of this pilot, asynchronous automated audiometry was approved as an Enterprise-Wide Initiative in the VHA system with 34 additional sites across VHA receiving ORH funding and multiple additional sites beginning their own asynchronous automated audiometry programs.</p>","PeriodicalId":49241,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Audiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-7"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145226237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Psychosocial Status and Quality of Life in Patients With Ménière's Disease and Vestibular Migraine.","authors":"Ercan Karababa, Fatma Ceyda Akın Öçal, Rumeysa Nur Akbaş, Abdullah Sunar, Emine Aydın","doi":"10.1044/2025_AJA-25-00065","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_AJA-25-00065","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The objective of this study was to evaluate anxiety, depression, dizziness disability, sleep, and quality of life in individuals diagnosed with Ménière's disease (MD) and vestibular migraine (VM). Additionally, the study sought to examine the impact of anxiety and depression levels, as well as dizziness disability, on sleep and quality of life.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>The present study included a total of 51 individuals, with 25 subjects in the MD group and 26 subjects in the VM group. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) for quality of life, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were administered face-to-face to all subjects.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A statistically significant difference was not observed between the two groups in terms of BDI, BAI, DHI total, and subcategories (Emotional, Physical, and Functional; <i>p</i> > .05). Among the subdimensions of SF-36, only Vitality and Mental Health scores were found to be statistically significantly higher in the MD group compared to the VM group (<i>p</i> = .039 and <i>p</i> = .030, respectively). Conversely, the PSQI score exhibited a statistically significant difference, with higher values observed in the VM group compared to the MD group (<i>p</i> = .023).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>VM and MD significantly impact psychological and physiological outcomes, including anxiety, depression, dizziness, quality of life, and sleep. Psychiatric comorbidities and reduced quality of life profoundly affect daily life. Therefore, a multidisciplinary approach, including psychiatric support, is essential for effective management.</p>","PeriodicalId":49241,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Audiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145214240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An Audiology Program to Proactively Manage Inpatient Veterans With Hearing Loss.","authors":"Cecilia Lacey, Cara Michaux, Ashley Zambetti, Maureen Wargo","doi":"10.1044/2025_AJA-25-00070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_AJA-25-00070","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Effective communication is essential to optimize medical care, but patients and providers are poor at recognizing hearing difficulty. While hearing loss is managed in outpatient clinics at the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, audiologic care for inpatients is typically reactive or not provided.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>An audiology inpatient management (AIM) program was developed to improve communication between inpatients with hearing loss and their medical providers during a hospitalization. AIM uses chart review to proactively identify inpatients that may have difficulty communicating with medical providers and provides bedside audiologic care. AIM was piloted on one inpatient unit before expanding to the entire medical center.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fifty-two percent (52%) of the pilot unit's new admissions had previously documented hearing loss. Although 83% of inpatients with hearing loss were fitted with hearing aids before their hospitalization, only 31% brought them to the hospital upon admission. Since expanding AIM to every inpatient unit, 28% of all new hospital admissions received audiologic care at bedside.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This article describes AIM's design, implementation, and evaluation with the intent of serving as a resource for other audiologists creating a similar program. Audiologists must guide recommendations on how to ensure that inpatients with hearing loss can effectively participate in their health care.</p>","PeriodicalId":49241,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Audiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145201902","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Overview of Telehealth in the Department of Veterans Affairs.","authors":"Cathy Cruise","doi":"10.1044/2025_AJA-24-00274","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_AJA-24-00274","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Telehealth facilitates access to care via technology and broadband infrastructure, remotely connecting patients and their clinical care teams. This is particularly important for those in rural and medically underserved areas, where there may be a lack of specialty medical care, and terrain, weather, or transportation options may make travel to a health care facility difficult.</p><p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The purpose of this clinical focus article is to provide an overview of the history, current state, and future direction of telehealth within the Department of Veterans Affairs.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>A variety of tools and technology with which telehealth can be delivered exist. This enables health care organizations to leverage their clinical networks to match supply and demand across their enterprise and offer additional choices for how patients receive their care. The COVID-19 pandemic was an opportune time for expansion of telehealth. Postpandemic, in many health care systems, it has become a core part of clinical operations. To realize the full potential of telehealth and to ensure equity across populations, addressing gaps in broadband access and digital skills will be critical.</p>","PeriodicalId":49241,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Audiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-4"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145126282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Examining Sociodemographic Differences in the Management of Vestibular Neuritis and Labyrinthitis by Ear, Nose, and Throat Providers and Vestibular Rehabilitation Outcomes.","authors":"Shweta Lodha, Avivah J Wang, Kristal M Riska","doi":"10.1044/2025_AJA-24-00265","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_AJA-24-00265","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study aims to determine the most common management strategies for vestibular neuritis and labyrinthitis (VNL) by ear, nose, and throat (ENT) providers and identify sociodemographic variations in vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) referral rates and VNL patient performance on baseline VRT assessments.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A retrospective study of all adult patients with a single diagnosis of VNL who visited a multiprovider tertiary ENT clinic (<i>n</i> = 168) was conducted. Demographic information, treatment recommendations, and baseline vestibular rehabilitation performance information were extracted from ENT clinical notes and initial VRT notes. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were performed to evaluate sociodemographic differences, and <i>p</i> ≤ .003 was considered statistically significant.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>VRT was the most popular treatment recommendation made by ENT providers, and VRT referral rates did not vary according to sociodemographic factors. 68.8% of referred patients initiated VRT. The number of patients with abnormal baseline VRT assessments did not differ by sex or race. More public insurance holders had abnormal Dynamic Gait Index assessment scores (<i>p</i> = .001) and gait speeds than did private insurance holders (<i>p</i> < .001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>VRT was the most frequent clinical management strategy recommended to VNL patients by ENT providers, and referral rates did not vary by sex, race, or insurance status. Most VRT patients had vestibular dysfunction on baseline assessments, suggesting appropriate referral of VRT by ENT. VNL patients' baseline vestibular function did not vary by sex or race but did vary by insurance status. Further work is needed to investigate study generalizability and elucidate the impact of insurance type on fall risk.</p><p><strong>Supplemental material: </strong>https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.30053206.</p>","PeriodicalId":49241,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Audiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145042108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Test-Retest Reliability and Variability Over Time for Repeated Audiometric Assessment in Individuals With Down Syndrome.","authors":"Heather L Porter, Emily LaSpada, Emily Buss, Lori J Leibold","doi":"10.1044/2025_AJA-25-00068","DOIUrl":"10.1044/2025_AJA-25-00068","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>High rates of hearing loss are observed for individuals with Down syndrome, and regular hearing assessment is recommended for children and adults. Unknown variability of threshold estimates for repeated auditory assessments for individuals with diverse intellectual abilities, such as individuals with Down syndrome, confounds the ability to determine true threshold changes between assessments. This study evaluated variability of pure-tone thresholds measured within and across test sessions for individuals with Down syndrome.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Participants included 27 individuals with Down syndrome, ages 5.1-46.5 years (average = 22.7, <i>SD</i> = 11.8). A group of 11 neurotypical individuals, ages 15.9-48.6 years (average = 24.5, <i>SD</i> = 10.3) was included in intrasession variability assessment. Pure-tone thresholds in quiet were measured at 1, 4, 8, and 11.2 kHz during a single session or during repeated audiograms separated by 2.7-11.2 months (average = 5.8, <i>SD</i> = 2.4) and 3.0-3.9 years (average = 3.4, <i>SD</i> = 0.4).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Intrasession variability was ≤ 10 dB for 94.3%-100% of thresholds for participants with Down syndrome, with similar variability observed for neurotypical participants. Threshold differences were ≤ 10 dB for 63.2%-85% of responses from audiograms separated by an average of 5.8 months and 37.5%-62.5% of responses separated by an average of 3.4 years.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Intrasession variability for participants with Down syndrome aligns with current clinical standards accepting variability of ≤ 10 dB between repeated threshold estimates. Differences in repeated audiometric thresholds greater than 10 dB likely reflect true changes in hearing sensitivity.</p><p><strong>Supplemental material: </strong>https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.30052885.</p>","PeriodicalId":49241,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Audiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145042035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Age-Related Hearing Decline and Resting-State Networks.","authors":"Cassidy Teuscher Ellsworth, Lucas A Kortus, Joanne Vuong, Judith Harvey, Kevin Pitt, Steven M Barlow, Yingying Wang","doi":"10.1044/2025_AJA-25-00025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_AJA-25-00025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study investigated the effects of age-related hearing decline on functional networks using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). The main objective of the present study was to examine resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and graph theory-based network efficiency metrics in 49 adults categorized by age and hearing thresholds to identify the neural mechanisms of age-related hearing decline.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Forty-nine adults with self-reported normal hearing underwent pure-tone audiometry and rs-fMRI. RSFC within key brain networks and auditory-related brain regions, including the default mode network, salience network, dorsal attention network, and primary auditory cortices, was assessed using region-of-interest-based and graph theory approaches. Functional metrics, such as RSFC strength and global and local efficiency, were compared across age groups (middle age vs. older age) and hearing profile groups (negative screening vs. positive screening and negative high-frequency [HF] screening vs. positive HF screening).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Older adults demonstrated significantly weaker RSFC between the left primary auditory cortex and the left rostrolateral prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex within the salience network than middle-aged adults. Participants without age-related hearing decline exhibited weaker internetwork connectivity within the dorsal attention network and bilateral auditory regions, highlighting the impact of hearing sensitivity on network functionality. Graph theory metrics indicated greater local efficiency in nodes within the salience network among individuals without age-related hearing decline, suggesting preserved cognitive control and attentional processing.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Age and hearing thresholds significantly affected the functional connectivity and network efficiency of the brain. These results emphasize the importance of neuroimaging techniques like rs-fMRI in studying neural mechanisms of age-related hearing loss.</p><p><strong>Supplemental material: </strong>https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.29945021.</p>","PeriodicalId":49241,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Audiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-17"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145030768","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An Exploratory Study of the Impact of Hearing Handicap on Listening Fatigue During Health Care Encounters Among Older Adults.","authors":"Jessica S West, Juliessa M Pavon, Dana S Guggenheim, Hannah Wessler, Ila Kaul, Bhavika Garg, Mikaela Matela, Matthew Bao, Kevin Wiafe, Howard W Francis, Sherri L Smith, Kristal M Riska","doi":"10.1044/2025_AJA-25-00056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_AJA-25-00056","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This exploratory study examined if hearing handicap in older adults affected listening-related fatigue during health care interactions and explored whether different face mask types worn during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic influenced this association.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A cross-sectional observational study among community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and older receiving care at an academic health care system outpatient audiology or otolaryngology clinics was conducted. Eligible participants completed and returned a mail-in self-reported packet including the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (Screener Version; HHIE-S) and the 10-item Vanderbilt Fatigue Scale for Adults (VFS-A-10). Face masks were institutionally required during the COVID-19 pandemic, with options including (a) standard surgical face mask, (b) clear face mask, or (c) standard surgical face mask with face shield. General linear models assessed differences in VFS-A-10 by HHIE-S score.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among the 104 participants, the HHIE-S mean was 15.3 (<i>SD</i> = 10.4); 34.3% experienced no hearing handicap, 45.5% experienced mild to moderate handicap, and 20.2% experienced severe handicap. Higher hearing handicap scores correlated with increased listening-related fatigue (β = 0.66, <i>SE</i> = 0.06, <i>p</i> ≤ .0001). Clear masks were linked to less listening-related fatigue, especially for individuals with higher degrees of hearing handicap, compared to standard surgical masks (β = -0.30, <i>SE</i> = 0.10, <i>p</i> ≤ .01).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Findings from this exploratory study underscore the need for tailored communication strategies and accommodations to enhance the health care experience for individuals with hearing handicap. Future research could explore listening-related fatigue in other health care settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":49241,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Audiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145024656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of Amplification Systems for Sound Localization and Speech Perception in Single-Sided Deafness: A Comparative Study With Low-Frequency Stimulus.","authors":"Yağız Korkut, Isa Tuncay Batuk, Merve Ozbal Batuk, Levent Sennaroğlu","doi":"10.1044/2025_AJA-24-00146","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_AJA-24-00146","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study aimed to evaluate the impact of different hearing devices on sound localization and speech perception in individuals with single-sided deafness (SSD). Specifically, the study sought to assess the performance of softband bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHAs) and contralateral routing of signals hearing aids (CROS HA) in various conditions to determine their effectiveness in improving auditory outcomes for SSD patients.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Eighteen participants (aged between 20 and 50 years) with SSD underwent tests using softband BAHA, CROS HA, and unaided conditions in a counterbalanced design. Sound localization tests, speech perception in noise assessments, and subjective satisfaction ratings were conducted to measure the effectiveness of the hearing devices. The study employed a single-subject, repeated-measures experimental design to compare the performance of the different devices.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results revealed that softband BAHA significantly improved sound localization, particularly in low-frequency stimulus localization, compared to CROS HA and unaided conditions (<i>p</i> = .03). Subjective satisfaction scores aligned with objective test outcomes, indicating a preference for softband BAHA. Speech perception in noise performance varied across conditions, with both hearing devices showing benefits in certain scenarios.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings of this study have important clinical implications for selecting appropriate hearing device options for SSD patients. Softband BAHA demonstrated superior performance in sound localization tasks, as evidenced by the significant improvement observed in the Azimuth Localization Test results. This test measures a central auditory skill-sound localization-by evaluating participants' ability to accurately identify the direction of sound sources. The enhanced performance with softband BAHA in this task suggests that the BAHA device provides the brain with more robust cues for localization when compared with the CROS device. Using suitable hearing devices during rehabilitation for SSD patients is crucial for enhancing auditory outcomes and quality of life in this population. Further research is warranted to address the limitations identified and optimize rehabilitation strategies for individuals with SSD.</p>","PeriodicalId":49241,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Audiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145006769","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}