Some fitting systems perform a version of REM using the mic and receiver of the hearing aids.
It’s ok, but there’s an inherent weakness in trying to measure the output of a device using the device itself.
A proper REM uses a separate slim tubed mic that is passed down the side of the Hearing Aid dome or mould. My preferred calculation is Real Ear Aided Response (or the total amount of oomph in the bottom of your canal) measured against the ‘SpeechMap’ of known speech interpolated against your actual Hearing level.
This effectively provides an absolute ratio of output between the quietest sound you perceive and a loudness ceiling for every frequency. The input signal should be speech; not recorded, but live speech over a few sentences from the Audiologist. Hence the coined term ‘Live Speech Mapping’. After each ‘round’ of fitting the Audiologist should compare the output on the screen with the ‘speech map’ target and make adjustments to the hearing aids.
Done properly, it’s a very useful tool to refine fittings.
1.Is it the magic bullet that everyone claims? Possibly.
2.Does it make your fitting hit a target? Absolutely.
3.Will the client ‘like’ the prescribed sound in all cases? Perhaps 50:50.
4.Will this measurement/adjustment override some of the ‘comfort’ features that a manufacturer includes in the fitting SW? Yes, you may need to wind the fitting back for acceptance.
5.If you insist on fitting to this target and ignore your client’s response to the fitting, are they more likely to bounce the sale in the short term? Possibly, especially if you seem to be overly prescriptive in terms of their needs.
6. Are commissioned/targeted employees likely to use it early in the sales process in the light of #5? Probably less likely than not.
7. Does the kit require a higher level of training, confidence, expenditure and understanding. Yes; (I was slated on the FB forum for saying handwritten audiograms were a sign that you shouldn’t be using that provider; it’s pretty much a dead cert that people not using computerised audiology systems won’t be using a REM system)
So, as you can see, there’s a bit more to it than saying people are lazy. Especially in an industry/this site where the main driver appears to be price.