- Objectives
It has often been said that “fitting cochlear implants is more an art than a science”. While this expression might sound attractive, it betrays the lack of established, evidence-based fitting guidelines to provide cochlear implant (CI) users with treatment options which are grounded in data and tailored to their conditions. The goal of the AuDiET study is to investigate performance-driven fitting by administering subjects fitting and training interventions focused on their specific needs. Specifically, the main objective of the study is to assess the effectiveness of an integrated program of fitting and training interventions aimed at reducing variability and addressing the specific error patterns of each recipient.
- Methods
Adult CI users (N=30) with a postlingual onset of hearing loss undergo a battery of tests aimed at establishing their error profile. Based on this profile, their MAPs are modified with the aim of addressing the errors that each subject makes more often. After that  they receive a individualized training aimed at helping them practice towards avoiding those same errors.
- Results
The study is ongoing. Preliminary results showed that for example that we can infer some measure of the influence of cognition and context when comparing results for single phoneme tests in quiet against Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) word recognition. Additionally, we can see how subjects’ patterns deviate from average, reinforcing the need for personalized fitting and training interventions. These results will be presented.
- Conclusion
The goal of this study is to pave the way towards evidence-based fitting interventions. While early results in adults appear promising, the problem of how to extend diagnostics and interventions to children, especially pre-lingual ones, is an obvious follow-up research question. It is the hope of the authors to spark constructive discussion to help build next-generation fitting, tailored to the recipients’ needs.

**- Objectives**
It has often been said that “fitting cochlear implants is more an art than a science”. While this expression might sound attractive, it betrays the lack of established, evidence-based fitting guidelines to provide cochlear implant (CI) users with treatment options which are grounded in data and tailored to their conditions. The goal of the AuDiET study is to investigate performance-driven fitting by administering subjects fitting and training interventions focused on their specific needs. Specifically, the main objective of the study is to assess the effectiveness of an integrated program of fitting and training interventions aimed at reducing variability and addressing the specific error patterns of each recipient.
**- Methods**
Adult CI users (N=30) with a postlingual onset of hearing loss undergo a battery of tests aimed at establishing their error profile. Based on this profile, their MAPs are modified with the aim of addressing the errors that each subject makes more often. After that  they receive a individualized training aimed at helping them practice towards avoiding those same errors.
**- Results**
The study is ongoing. Preliminary results showed that for example that we can infer some measure of the influence of cognition and context when comparing results for single phoneme tests in quiet against Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) word recognition. Additionally, we can see how subjects’ patterns deviate from average, reinforcing the need for personalized fitting and training interventions. These results will be presented.
**- Conclusion**
The goal of this study is to pave the way towards evidence-based fitting interventions. While early results in adults appear promising, the problem of how to extend diagnostics and interventions to children, especially pre-lingual ones, is an obvious follow-up research question. It is the hope of the authors to spark constructive discussion to help build next-generation fitting, tailored to the recipients’ needs.

Auditory Diagnostics and Error-based Treatment: Steps towards performance-based fitting

It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm, that on behalf of the Cochlear Implant centers of the Radboud UMC in Nijmegen and Erasmus MC Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam to invite you to attend the 16th European Symposium on Pediatric Cochlear Implantation to Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 2023.

Yours sincerely, on behalf of the CI Centers at Radboud UMC and Erasmus MC,