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Clinical hearing aid dispensing: A five year review
Author(s) -
Pappas James J.,
Bailey H. A. Ted,
Graham Sharon S.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1288/00005537-198009000-00008
Subject(s) - hearing aid , medicine , dispensary , audiology , hearing loss , population , sensorineural hearing loss , audiologist , family medicine , environmental health
Constant reassessment of professional services is necessary in order to maintain responsiveness to patient needs. As a result of current trends in patient population, amplification technology and legislative intervention, many otolaryngologists and audiologists have included the dispensing of hearing aids as a part of their provision of clinical services. The primary philosophical objective in dispensing hearing aids is to provide a more allencompassing total hearing health care within the clinic setting for patients with all types of hearing loss, whether their needs are medical, surgical or prosthetic. Procedures for each patient receiving a hearing aid fitting include the following: audiological evaluation, otolaryngological examination, physician counseling, audiological counseling, ear mold fabrication, hearing aid evaluation and fitting, 30 day trial period, and follow‐up hearing aid counseling. A total of 1319 aids have been dispensed over a five year period. The large majority of the aids are postauricular instruments, fitted on adults over 60 years of age with sensorineural hearing loss. Dispensing aids within the clinic has established a constant quality service, improved patient follow‐up, improved the convenience for patients, offered research opportunities, and reduced the cost to our patients. Having a within‐clinic dispensary provides a coordinated program of professional management for the aural rehabilitative process; when a hearing aid is dispensed through such a program, the quality of patient care for the hearing impaired population can be improved.