Hearing Tracker is a special feature of the Nucleus® Smart App which gives Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor users direct access to their personalized usage information—including time-in-speech and coil offs.
Hearing Tracker is a special feature of the Nucleus® Smart App which gives Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor users direct access to their personalized usage information—including time-in-speech and coil offs. Data logging in the Nucleus® Sound Processors is a feature that enables audiologists, auditory-verbal therapists (AVT), and other professionals to view how the sound processor has been used over time. It records five functions, including:
- Time on air: The time the device was used in speech environments and how long the sound processor coil was off.
- Scene analysis: Provides information on how long the user spent in the six different environments, i.e., quiet, speech, noise, speech in noise, music and wind. This data helps the clinician suggest program changes to improve the hearing experience. The clinician can view the historic trending data between the last five programming sessions.
- Loudness levels: that the user may experience starting from less than 40 to more than 80 dBA.
- Volume/sensitivity: Records changes to volume to note if any alterations above or below the clinician’s prescribed value have been made.
- Program usage: Records a daily average which, over time, reveals themes that allow the audiologist to make adjustments to optimize hearing performance.
Before data logging, audiologists would fit the sound processor(s) in clinic, then after a period of real-world use, re-fit based on feedback from the recipient or parent/caregiver. Data logging in the Nucleus system is helpful in comparing actual objective information with what the user or caregiver remembers and reports about his or her day-to-day experiences. When data is presented clearly and objectively, themes emerge that allow the clinician to make the right adjustments for individual recipient needs. This makes the fine-tuning process easier and more efficient. User feedback and data logging help clinicians make informed decisions to help optimize hearing performance.
Objective reporting for children
For children, hearing approximately 21,000 words-per-day is the daily requirement to develop their vocabulary at an appropriate pace1. Data logging provides information about the listening environments of the child in daily life—information he or she is incapable of reporting at a young age. Data logs may reveal, for example:
- if the parents or caregivers are accurately estimating the duration of time in which the is device used,
- excessive coil off – which might mean a child wearing the device is removing it,
the magnet is too weak, or a different wearing option may be needed,
- whether the child’s FM system is being used as anticipated (in school settings, for example), and
- the various sound environments the child is experiencing and the volume levels that were in use.
For parents, data logging provides added confidence that the child is hearing his or her best with the Nucleus® system.
Understanding the Nucleus sound system in adults
Similarly, data logging for adults provides key information to the counseling audiologist on patterns of use, which enable the audiologist to view trends and indications that the system is being used optimally. Even for adults, active hearing therapy may be necessary to maximize the benefit of implantation.
By examining which programs are being used throughout the day, the audiologist can make programming adjustments that better reflect the user’s lifestyle. For example, if volume/sensitivity have changed in each program, the clinician may need to make program levels louder or softer.
How data logging works
Data logging records usage information objectively and is accessed by the clinician in the form of a dashboard with easy-to-understand charts. Usage records show how the sound processor is being used in terms of time on air, programs, listening environments, volume levels and accessory use.
Data logging in medical devices, such as a sound processor, provide accuracy and reliability that is greater than a recipient’s ability to recall. With data logging, the device remembers for the user, supports a collaborative relationship with the clinician (based on factual evidence), and contributes to optimized use of the Nucleus hearing system.
- Hart, B., & Risley, T. R. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday experience of young American children. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.
