Hearing aids continuously analyze and classify the acoustic environment when they are in use. In addition, they track how many hours per day they are switched on. Their data logging thus allows us to estimate typical acoustic days for hearing aid wearers. Most commercially available hearing aids also allow for wireless connection to Bluetooth-enabled devices, such as mobile phones. These ecosystems provide an effective means of collecting (near-)real-time, self-reported feedback from hearing aid wearers, e.g., guided by surveys in a mobile application.

In this presentation, we will presents findings from an exploratory, retrospective analysis of real-world hearing aid data, collected globally. In particular, we will discuss insights from hearing aid sound environment classification and wearing time data of over three million hearing aid wearers, as logged by the software used to fit the hearing aids. We will also discuss insights from over one hundred thousand self-reports, collected from hearing aid wearers through a mobile application as part of their hearing care. These self-reports described positive and negative experiences with hearing technology, matched to how the hearing aid classified the sound environment at the same time the feedback was provided.