Bone-anchored hearing aid modified with directional microphone: do patients benefit?

Background: Bone-anchored hearing aids are well established in the treatment of patients with a conductive or mixed hearing loss. However, one of the main problems is that of sound localisation. This can be improved with a directional microphone. This study compared the quality of life of bone-anchored hearing aid wearers before and after the use of a directional microphone. Method: Eleven patients were included. They were required to wear the directional microphone for 12 weeks. Quality of life was measured using the Glasgow benefit inventory questionnaire, before and after the study period. Results: The response rate was 82 per cent. The total benefit from the directional microphone was +49.7. The three components of the Glasgow benefit inventory were analysed separately, as follows: general subscale +57.4; physical health +42.6; and social scale +25.9. Conclusion: This is the first study to demonstrate a significant improvement in quality of life from a directional microphone fitted to a bone-anchored hearing aid.