Efficacy and Effectiveness of Wireless Binaural Beamforming Technology of Hearing Aids in Improving Speech Perception in Noise: A Systematic Review
Ear and Hearing
Kumar, S., Guruvayurappan, A., et al. (2023).
Ear and Hearing, 44(6), 1289-1300.
This systematic review investigates the effects of bilateral hearing aids with wireless binaural beamformer (BBF) on sound perception in noise abilities and self-reported outcomes in individuals with bilateral mild-to-severe sensorineural hearing loss.
None declared
January 2000 to April 2022
Published, English-language studies (not further specified)
11
<div>Individuals with sensorineural hearing loss using wireless binaural beamformer (BBF) hearing aids demonstrated improved performance on sound perception in noise (SIN) tasks compared to Bil-Omni-Mic processing (8 studies) and Bil-Asym-Dir-Mic processing (1 study). Seven studies comparing BBF to Bil-Dir-Mic processing reported mixed outcomes. Studies measuring SIN benefit of wireless BFF in reverberation environments also found mixed results. Five studies comparing the subjective benefit of BFF to other hearing aid technologies showed inconsistent results. The authors conclude that "wireless BBF performs significantly better than the conventional microphone technologies on SIN performance. However, the certainty of the evidence was judged as low due to the serious risk of bias and inconsistency in the outcome ... and thus, we lack confidence in the observed effect. Therefore, the evidence for the superior performance of wireless BBF when compared to other microphone processing on SIN is considered to be weak" (p. 1298). Additional research is warranted.</div>
