Field attenuation estimation systems (FAES) are gaining interest in hearing conservation clinics to improve hearing protection device selection and fitting. The ability to rapidly estimate individual-specific attenuation levels also makes them valuable research tools for studies requiring precise control of noise exposures in human subjects. This presentation describes the benefits that both participants and researchers obtained from the use of FAES in Department of Defense research studies examining the effects of noise on human listeners. In one study, FAES were used to ensure participants remained within safe daily noise exposure limits by reducing uncertainty about the attenuation provided by their hearing protection. This enabled higher experimental sound levels while maintaining subject safety. In another study, FAES were used to control the exact level of noise exposure each participant experienced under their hearing protection. In a third, FAES were used to examine fit/refit data for a device normally inserted by a hearing professional. In all cases, the portability and efficiency of FAES enabled studies that would have been impractical or impossible using traditional methods.
Gallagher et al. (Wed,) studied this question.