The industry has come a long way when it comes to developing technologies that help hearing care professionals make data-driven decisions. As these tools become more sophisticated, we can expect to gain increasing visibility into the daily experiences people are having out in the world with their hearing aids.
The thing about achieving more visibility is that it typically requires more data. This presents the challenge of how to present an influx of information to hearing care professionals in meaningful ways. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers much promise.
One proven application of AI is mining through mountains of data to make evidence-based recommendations. Galen Dunning, Director, Software Solutions at Unitron, explains how advancements in AI could deliver even more benefits to hearing care professionals and their clients.
“Imagine AI identifying that a client is likely struggling in a certain environment. It could then make a recommendation for a setting change in the hearing aids to resolve the problem,” says Dunning. “In this context, AI is acting like an assistant that provides concrete, meaningful advice to action.”
On the surface, it might appear that AI is a solution to avoid burying hearing care professionals in data overload. In reality, AI likely needs some help to cut through the clutter.
In order for an AI system to make recommendations, it must be able to identify which clients are most successful. This is where a tool like Ratings can help to augment the process.
“Clients can use our Ratings feature on their smartphone to provide real-time feedback in the moments where they are having positive or negative experiences with their hearing aids,” says Dunning. “It adds in that elusive measure of success, which may be valuable in driving meaningful AI systems going forward.”
The unique combo of Ratings plus AI offers strong potential to further personalize client experiences and make it easier for them to adapt to their hearing aids.
“Hearing care professionals have deep expertise, but sometimes they need to take a trial-and-error approach because every client is so different,” says Stacey Gent, Senior Product Manager, Digital Ecosystem at Unitron. “Imagine if we could take the pressure off and offer a head start when it comes to personalizing the right hearing solution for each client.”
Beyond better personalization, AI could also be leveraged to convince more people to accept hearing aids into their daily lives – a problem that persists despite massive leaps forward in sound performance, design and style.
“We know there’s still a big discrepancy between the number of people who need hearing aids and the number who actually wear them,” says Gent. “If AI helps get people to an experience they love faster, it could help to reduce that gap.”
There are other trends on the horizon that offer solutions to get past the stigma of wearing hearing aids. It’s commonplace these days to see people walking around wearing wireless earbuds to listen to content or talk on the phone. But MedTech companies are also shifting their focus away from wearables on wrists and into ears for more precise monitoring of heart rate, pulse, temperature and blood oxygen levels.
All of this bodes well for an increasing willingness for people to accept hearing aids as a norm in the future.
Our experts are seeing additional indicators of increasing tech adoption among those who wear hearing aids. Many people in our wearer demographic use smartphones, albeit to varying levels. This opens the possibility for them to use our Remote Plus app to gain control over things like optimizing comfort and clarity, adjusting volume, and even making those in-the-moment Ratings we mentioned earlier in this article.
Our team is focused on ensuring our app is easy to use for users who possess a range of capabilities and preferences. The app offers a modern interface, with intuitive screen flows and the ability for users to customize what they see. It also integrates additional lifestyle data features, like step counting and activity tracking, because we know that’s important to many of the people who wear hearing aids.
Today’s rapid advances in AI are making for an exciting ride for people working in tech. But when the power of AI is applied to hearing aids, it adds another layer of purpose.
“There are a lot of great companies out there working on cool technology,” says Nicola McLaughlin, Senior Director of Marketing at Unitron. “But when we’re working with hearing aids, it’s very satisfying to hear from hearing care professionals that our solutions are making a real difference in the lives of their clients. That type of feedback fuels the team because we know that all the details we sweat through ultimately have a significant purpose.”
The iterative nature of working on our fitting software and Experience Tech Tools is also very satisfying for the team, according to Dunning.
“We have room for experimentation when it comes to finding solutions and solving problems,” he says. “When you work on a solution for a long period of time and then see it go out into the world where people respond positively to it – that’s the most rewarding work.”
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For 60 years we’ve been solving meaningful challenges for the people who wear hearing aids and the hearing care professionals who help them along their hearing journey. This article is one in a series featuring insights from our internal experts who spend their days making sure you and your clients always love the experience. Easy to wear, easy to hear and easy for you – that’s the Unitron way.