Real-Ear Measurement
Also written as: REM — Real-Ear Measurement
Probe microphone measurements taken inside the ear canal to verify the actual sound pressure level delivered by a hearing aid at the tympanic membrane.
Full Definition
Real-ear measurement (REM), also called probe microphone measurement, is the gold-standard method for verifying hearing aid output in situ. A thin silicone tube with a miniature microphone is placed in the ear canal alongside the hearing aid; measurements are taken with the aid off (real-ear unaided response, REUR) and on (real-ear aided response, REAR). The difference between these is the real-ear insertion gain (REIG), which is compared to a prescriptive target such as NAL-NL2 or DSL v5. Editors should ensure that specific measurements (REUR, REAR, REIG) are spelled out at first use and that 'real-ear' is hyphenated when used attributively (e.g., 'real-ear measurement') but not predicatively.
Usage
Usage note: Hyphenate 'real-ear' as a compound modifier before a noun (real-ear measurement); the sub-measures REUR, REAR, and REIG should each be defined at first use.
In Context
- "Real-ear measurement confirmed that the prescribed gain target was achieved within ±5 dB across all frequencies." — Hearing aid verification report
- "REM was consistently written as 'rem' in the draft; standardize capitalisation as 'REM' throughout." — Editorial style correction