Real-Ear Measurements (REM) is a measurement used by audiologists to verify the proper programming of hearing aids relative to a patient’s hearing loss. The shape and size of each individual ear canal can affect how the sound from a hearing aid reaches the patient’s eardrum. Real-ear measurements allow audiologists to assess the actual sound that is arriving at the patient’s eardrum (as opposed to the predicted sound levels set by the fitting software’s algorithm).
This measurement is recorded by placing a thin tube inside the ear canal while the patient wears their hearing aids. The audiologist plays recordings of a number of stimuli, including “speech mapping,” which is a real-time spectrum display of how speech sounds interact with the patient’s ear canal. This process allows audiologists to finely-tune the hearing aid programming to the patient’s ears and to ensure that every sound is properly audible without being inappropriately loud.
Real-Ear Measurements are an important step in proper hearing aid customization and are recommended by the American Academy of Audiology and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. We are proud to perform Real-Ear Measurements at Sonik Hearing Health Services as part of our promise to deliver best-practice care to our patients.
