The BiCROS Experience

The National Centre for Audiology at Western University and the ICT recently presented the results of a study that investigated the impact of a BiCROS fitting for people with single-sided deafness and hearing loss at the American Academy of Audiology 2023 + HearTECH Expo in Seattle, WA, United States. BiCROS is a technology where a microphone is placed on an ear that doesn’t benefit from amplification. The microphone (CROS device) transmits the sounds from the unaidable side to the hearing aid worn on the ear with hearing loss.

The study participants wore the BiCROS fitting for 4-5 weeks during their daily life and reported their experience in questionnaires. They also completed in-lab measures such as speech tests in noise and subjective ratings either without hearing aids, with a unilateral hearing aid fitting and a BiCROS fitting. Participants reported real world benefits from wearing the CROS device on their poorer ear. The results also show that the use of a directional microphone with a unilateral hearing aid and a BiCROS fitting can significantly improve speech intelligibility in noise. Similarly, use of a hearing aid without or with the CROS signal transmission improved the subjective sound quality as rated by clarity, and total impression of sound and decreased listening effort.

Please see posters below for more details on this study. 

Authored by: Voss, Solveig

BiCROS Resource Posters: