SOMERSET, NEW JERSEY — Oticon Medical has introduced the new Ponto Trial Companion App, which the company says is a “simple-to-use app that provides an easy way for patients to evaluate whether bone anchored hearing and the Ponto Sound System are the right decision for them”.
Aimed at improving patient engagement in the trial process with the Ponto Sound Processor, the Ponto Trial Companion App is said to provide benefits to patients and hearing professionals.
Using the Ponto Trial Companion App
The app is designed to guide patients to experience different listening situations, from quiet home settings to more demanding environments, like restaurants, and rate their hearing experience. Patients can then email their ratings reports directly to their hearing care professional.
During office visits, the rating report helps to guide patient decision making and allow hearing care providers to program their device appropriately based on the patient’s most common listening situations.
The app format makes it quick and easy to record ratings while patients are in the actual listening situations, and equally easy for them to share those ratings with their hearing care professional. Patient engagement in the trial process is improved and the connection with the hearing healthcare provider is enhanced.
A recent study found that without the right experience and the right information, almost 40 percent of clinically suitable patients decide not to proceed with bone anchored hearing solutions in the pre-operative stage. The Ponto Trial Companion supports patients in the trial process by encouraging them to rate their experience in a variety of sound situations, so they can gain the information they need to access how well the sound processor benefits them and their unique hearing loss.
According to the company’s press release, the Ponto Trial Companion features three default listening situations: conversation in quiet, conversation in noise and sounds in outdoor environments. Patients have the option to add a fourth situation from a list that includes classroom, office meeting, in car, watching TV, playground or sporting event.
Each listening situation can be ranked from very poor to very good and brief comments added, for example, “hearing was poor because the restaurant was extremely loud” or “people were speaking in the background, but I could still hear the TV.” When a minimum of seven ratings have been completed, patients can email the ratings report directly to their hearing care professional.
Patients are encouraged to distribute their rating opportunities across the trial period, so they get the most benefit from the trial process and have the information and experience they need to make an informed decision.
The Ponto Trial Companion App is available for free download from the App Store or Google Play in nine languages. The language of the app will adjust automatically depending on the language of the patient’s phone.
For more information visit Oticon Medical.
Source: Oticon Medical
