🎧 Hearing Aid Fitting: Science, Empathy, and Real‑World Listening
When you visit an audiologist, you expect more than just science — you expect care. In New Zealand, MNZAS audiologists follow strict best‑practice guidelines to ensure every fitting meets clinical standards. One of the most important tools is the Real Ear Measures (REMs), which check whether a hearing aid can technically correct a given hearing loss.
But REMs are only the beginning. Relying on them alone can miss the bigger picture. A hearing aid programmed purely to match a graph may struggle in real life — like following a conversation in a busy restaurant, or enjoying the richness of music. Too often, people remove their aids in social settings, which is regrettable and avoidable.
👂 Audiologists must experience hearing aids themselves
At hear., we believe audiologists should wear hearing aids — even with normal hearing — to understand how they behave. Experiencing amplification first‑hand builds empathy and insight. It’s the difference between knowing the science and feeling the reality.
🚶 Take fittings outside the clinic
Speech clarity in a quiet room is one thing; speech clarity on a busy street is another. That’s why we step outside with our patients, converse among traffic, and test hearing aids against the backdrop of everyday noise. Real‑world listening is the true measure of success.
📺 Everyday listening matters
Television is one of the most common listening situations. We make it part of the fitting process — sitting together in the clinic room, watching TV, and checking comprehension. Patients leave confident they can enjoy their daily routines without strain.
🗣 Go beyond real‑ear measures
Verification is essential, but it’s not the finish line. At the very least, audiologists should perform aided speech testing — evaluating how well patients hear actual speech with their devices. From there, fine‑tuning gain and compression based on problematic speech sounds can transform “good enough” into “life‑changing.”
✨ The hear. approach
A fitting should never be rushed. It’s a partnership, blending science with empathy, so your hearing aids don’t just work — they enrich your life. That’s exactly how we approach care at hear.: real‑world listening, patient‑centered adjustments, and a commitment to going well beyond the minimum standards.
