New Oticon Intiga Offers Immediate Benefits and Immediate AcceptanceSomerset, NJ September 6 - A new hearing solution from Oticon equips hearing care professionals to improve first-time user acceptance from the first fitting. Designed to address first-time users' desire for discreetness, natural sound quality and rapid acclimatization, Oticon Intiga is the latest innovation in Oticon's user-driven product portfolio. With Intiga, Oticon aims to help hearing care professionals achieve the "Now Effect", the quick acceptance of hearing solutions by people new to amplified sound.
Oticon Intiga features an ultra-small size, sleek, ergonomic design, powerful RISE 2 sound processing and a fast adaptation strategy proven to facilitate rapid acclimatization for first-time users. Results from a just released international study of first-time users conducted by researchers at Towson University in Maryland and The Hörzentrum in Oldenburg, Germany suggest that the new hearing device delivered immediate and obvious benefits to study participants. Although it is widely accepted that people new to hearing devices usually take longer to accept amplification, Intiga met the expectations of the study participants in a variety of key performance areas including speech in noise, comfort in ear, comfort with loud sounds and one-on-one conversation in quiet. This resulted in immediate acceptance by the first-time users. Within the first week of the study, the majority of participants indicated that they intended to wear their new hearing instruments long term.
"Our research tells us that first-time users are interested in a "quick fix" of their hearing problem," says Oticon President Peer Lauritsen. "They expect to experience comfort, natural sound quality and discreetness instantly. Intiga is designed to meet high expectations for benefits 'now' by providing immediate benefits in performance areas that positively impact quality of life. The Towson and Oldenburg study suggests that this can result in immediate and long term acceptance of hearing solutions by first-time users."
The "Now Effect" has practical merit for hearing care professionals. Hearing industry studies have shown that practitioners spend approximately 40 percent of their week working with first-time users without getting the desired results or understanding why their efforts are not successful.
Expertly Engineered Form and Function
According to Oticon's end-user studies, one of the top requirements voiced by new users is that a hearing solution appear unintimidating and be comfortable to wear throughout the day. Intiga was designed to accommodate these requirements. It is the world's smallest wireless hearing device and Oticon's smallest RITE hearing solution, 33 percent smaller than the miniRITE. The hearing instrument's surface is smooth and unbroken with invisible microphone openings and no push buttons to attract attention. Intiga's ultra-small, organic shape hides well behind the ear and the new soft receiver wire and ergonomically shaped speaker ensure fitting comfort and retention throughout the day.
Tools to Address First-time Users' Concerns and Barriers
To further strengthen the ability of hearing care professionals to address the needs of new users, Oticon introduces Readiness Management, a new, dedicated first-time-user counseling approach. Readiness Management is a collection of evidence-based counseling techniques and tools enabling hearing care professionals to guide first-time users to a point at which they can accept their need for hearing devices and are committed to trying hearing solutions and successfully prepared for their fitting. Readiness Management helps practitioners to gain trust and help people new to hearing instruments acknowledge the impact of their hearing loss and facilitate patient ownership of the hearing rehabilitation process.
Oticon has also optimized its Adaptation Manager to facilitate more immediate speech understanding and thus more immediate, obvious benefits for first-time user acceptance. Intiga's Speech Guard processing facilitates this faster acclimatization enabling Oticon to shorten the timeframe between adaption steps by half. The adaptation stages from step one to step three (full amplification) are reduced from two months to one month.
"Oticon's Readiness Management approach, combined with Intiga's 'Now Effect', underscore our commitment to empower people through innovative hearing- and support solutions. We have based Intiga's design and audiology on end-user insights to ensure that hearing care professionals find it easier than ever before to increase trust, gain first-time user acceptance and prepare people new to hearing solutions for long term positive outcomes," says Lauritsen.
Oticon Intiga is available in 13 colors ranging from subtle colors that blend to complement natural skin and hair tones to more vibrant contemporary colors including terracotta, vivid lilac and natural henna.
For more information on new Oticon Intiga and Oticon's integrated support solutions, visit oticonusa.com or you may also visit the Oticon web channel on AudiologyOnline.
