Audiology and People with Hearing Loss
We all know what an audiologist is, right? She's the
person who tests our hearing and prescribes hearing aids to help those
with hearing loss hear
better.
That may be the common perception, but
there's a bit more to it than that. The American
Academy of Audiology Position Paper on the Scope of Practice
includes several paragraphs that define the audiologist's role. It
states, in part:
"An audiologist is a person who, by
virtue of academic degree, clinical training, and license to practice
and/or professional credential, is uniquely qualified to provide a
comprehensive array of professional services related to the assessment
and habilitation/rehabilitation of persons with auditory and vestibular
impairments, and to the prevention of these impairments. Audiologists
serve in a number of roles including clinician, therapist, teacher,
consultant, researcher and administrator. In addition, the supervising
audiologist maintains legal and ethical responsibility for all assigned
audiology activities provided by audiology assistants and audiology
students."
The minimum required academic credential
for an audiologist is currently a Master's Degree, but there is a
movement afoot to increase the requirement to a Doctorate. The Audiology
Foundation of America is one of the organizations leading this
drive.
Whether a Master's Degree or a Doctorate is the
appropriate degree, the bottom line is that audiologists need to know a
lot about each aspect of hearing and balance. An audiologist applies
only a small portion of that knowledge to treat a typical patient, but
it should be reassuring to know that additional knowledge is there if
needed.
Audiologists are often the cornerstone of hearing
loss treatment; they are typically the first hearing professional a
consumer sees, and they are intimately involved in resolving a client's
hearing loss issues.
Is your
favorite audiologist part of a nationwide plot to seize control of all
hearing aid dispensing and prohibit sales by hearing aid dispensers? You
might be surprised!
If you're interested in what's going
on in the audiology industry from a business point of view, you'll find
some interesting articles here!
Interested in having your hearing tested?
December 2012 - The Path from Analog to Digital: 65 Years
of Advances in Audiology
December 2012 - Michigan Audiologist Creates Hearing Bus to
Serve Rural Communities
December 2012 - The Real Ethical Concern: Hearing Aid
Technology
September 2012 - Audiologist Named One of Best Jobs in Healthcare
June 2012 -
Why Don't Audiologists Use Best Practice
Guidelines?
June 2012 -
Audiology's Struggle for Independence
April 2012 -
Audiologist Named Again in the Top 10 Best Jobs
List
April 2012 -
Deep Canal Fittings: Advantages, Challenges,
and a New Approach
January 2012 -
Audiologist
assistants may alleviate the workforce squeeze
December 2011 -
Meeting the First-Time User
Challenge
November 2011 - ADA sues ASHA over certification
August 2011 - ADA Files Federal Lawsuit
Against ASHA Alleging Fraudulent Activities
August 2011 - Clinical Encounters and Hearing Impairment
April 2011 - Audiologist is Least Stressful
Profession
January 2011 -
Improving word understanding with hearing aids
takes art as well as science
November 2010 - The Hearing Aid Dispenser as the
Key Factor in Determining Successful Use of a Hearing Aid
September 2010 - Mayo Study: Is it Safe for
Seniors to Self-Refer to an Audiologist?
July 2010 - Understanding and Managing a Severe
Hearing Loss
May 2010 -
Empowering Patients
Through Audiologic Rehabilitation Classes
October 2009 - Programming hearing
aids using speech rather than beeps!
August 2008 - Do Audiological Reading Materials
Improve Consumer Outcomes?
August 2008 - AuDNet Releases Report for Consumers
June 2008 - Audiology Telepractice Overcomes
Inaccessibility
February 2008 - Straight Talk
from an Audiologist
November 2007 - The Future
of Hearing Health Care
September 2007 - Researcher
Developing New Method for Hearing Loss Assessment
September 2007 - Evaluating the
Performance of a Hearing Aid in the Real-Ear
April 2007 - Arizona Requires
Dispensers to Inform Consumers About Telecoils
March 2007 - Bill Would Give Seniors Direct Access to
Audiologists
October 2006 - What
to Expect from a Complete Hearing Test
September 2006 - Presbycusis and Speech
Discrimination
February 2006 - Deafness Research UK has recently
awarded a prize to a Cambridge University student for her work to
develop an objective method to measure frequency regions with little or
no hearing response. Here's the press release.
June 2005 - Here's a
great article on matching hearing aid technologies to individuals.
It's our report on Scot Frink's Hearing Aid Technology workshop at the
Western Symposium on Deafness.
March 2005 -
You may be surprised to learn that a
leading audiologist claims that many of his colleagues do NOT do a
proper job of fitting hearing aids!
September
2003 - Have you ever wished there was a quick and reliable online
hearing test? Not as comprehensive as what an audiologist provides, but
a rough indication of whether you should have your hearing evaluated?
Well, here's an article about and a link to just such a
test.
September 2003 - Ever wish you could have a
conversation with your audiologist or hearing aid provider about the
services you WISH they provided? Chances are you wish they treated the
entire person rather than just the hearing loss; you'd probably like
them to inform you about all the various resources that can assist you,
not just hearing aids. You may never be able to have that
conversation with your hearing aid provider. But here's a
short article you might want to pass along to her.
March 2002 - Most people think that an
audiologist's job is to test hearing and prescribe hearing aids. And in
some cases that may be all that's needed. But Dr. Neil Bauman believes
that an audiologist's job is to assist people in coping with their
hearing loss. Hearing aids are certainly a part of that, but there's a
lot more. In my humble opinion, every hearing loss professional should
be required to memorize "What I Wish Audiologists
Understood before beginning their
practice. This is another article you might consider sharing with your
audiologist and other hearing loss professionals.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Path from Analog to Digital: 65 Years of Advances in
Audiology
December 2012
Audiology has benefitted substantially from
technological advances; think of how profoundly the invention of the
electronic amplifier and audiometer affected the field. These inventions
not only helped advance audiology but served as a catalyst for changing
our thinking about fundamental issues in audiology. The use of an
audiometer in place of a tuning fork to evaluate hearing loss requires a
mindset change, but this change seldom occurs immediately. It was widely
believed, when electronic amplification was first introduced, that the
correct form of acoustic amplification was to provide gain equal to the
hearing loss, such as mirroring the audiogram. Electronic amplification
assisted in amplifying signals to an uncomfortably loud level, thought to
demonstrate reduced dynamic range in sensorineural hearing loss. It took
some time, however, before it was recognized that reduced dynamic range,
rather than an elevated hearing threshold, was the core problem.
Full Story
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December 2012
Dr. Gyl Kasewurm, Owner of Professional Hearing
Services, has created a Mobile Audiology Center ("Hearing Bus") to bring
hearing testing services to rural Michigan communities. Dr. Kasewurm
decided to create the Hearing Bus after realizing that there were
under-served populations in rural Michigan that did not have access to
hearing services. The Hearing Bus not only brings services to these
people, but also acts as a vehicle for spreading hearing awareness
throughout Southwest Michigan. "The Hearing Bus is an example of the
ever-expanding mobile services industry," said Dr. Gyl Kasewurm. "You
can't come to us? No problem, we'll come to you." Anyone that has been to
the Professional Hearing Services clinic in St. Joseph knows that Dr.
Kasewurm is all about creating a remarkable and comfortable experience for
her patients. While you wait for your appointment, you can treat yourself
to a cup of coffee from their gourmet coffee bar, enjoy a warm cookie
fresh out of the oven, relax on the sofa in front of the fire, and take
advantage of their virtual theatre where you can see how hearing aids are
made, watch a movie, or play on their Nintendo Wii.
Full Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 2012
Choosing which level of technology to use, on the
other hand, can have serious implications on how well my patients will be
able to hear. The highest level represents the manufacturer's best hearing
aid, and incorporates all the features believed to ensure the best
outcome. Hearing aid manufacturers have indoctrinated us to believe that
the different levels are dependent on lifestyle; that is, a senior citizen
who lives in assisted living does not have the same requirements as a
corporate executive. Somehow audiologists have bought into this notion,
but I disagree. It is just as important for a senior citizen to hear as
well as a corporate executive, and if the top level hearing aid will help
a corporate executive hear better in a noisy meeting, it will also help a
senior citizen hear better in a noisy dining room. Why would we suggest
that some people do not deserve to hear as well as others? The current
ethical rules are only concerned with what influences the manufacturer we
choose, which is relatively insignificant to patient outcome, but they
have no concern with the level of technology, which is highly significant
to patient outcome. Technology levels did not exist when I originally
started dispensing hearing aids. People paid more for a smaller hearing
aid, but at least they were paying for a cosmetic option. Analog and
programmable hearing aids were offered at a higher price when they entered
the market. Digital hearing aids were also more expensivewhen they first
came out -different levels arose from this situation. Now that analog
hearing aids and programmable analog hearing aids are no longer with us,
these new levels of technology were created. Choosing different levels may
have been justified in the past, but now it is not a real difference.
Full Story
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September 2012
Dental Hygienist, Audiologist and Occupational
Therapist ranked as the top three healthcare jobs in the nation, according
to a new report by CareerCast.com. The other highly rated healthcare jobs
include Physical Therapist, Optometrist, Pharmacist, Physician's
Assistant, Chiropractor, General Practice Physician, Registered Nurse,
Speech Pathologist and Psychiatrist. Healthcare job opportunities are
often lucrative, rewarding and exponentially growing. Wage and salary
employment in the health care industry is projected to increase 27%
through 2014, compared with 14% for all industries combined, says the new
CareerCast.com report. Healthcare employment is a bright spot in our
floundering economy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the
healthcare and social assistance industry is projected to create about 28
percent of all new jobs created in the U.S. economy from 2010 to 2020.
This industry-which includes public and private hospitals, nursing and
residential care facilities, and individual and family services-is
expected to grow by 33 percent, or 5.7 million new jobs. An aging
population and longer life expectancies, as well as new treatments and
technologies will drive employment growth.
Full Story
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June 2012
Audiology isn't lacking for best practice
guidelines. The American Academy of Audiology and the American
Speech-Language Hearing Association offer detailed recommendations for
preferred practice patterns. The College of Audiologists & Speech-Language
Pathologists of Ontario offers similar guidelines. Even state-level
audiology associations are producing their own recommendations on best
practices. So why don't more audiologists integrate best practice
guidelines into patient care? Must experts do a better job of
communicating their benefits? Do practitioners need to be convinced that
sometimes frustrating guidelines are worth the effort? Are implementing
them just too time-consuming? Unfortunately, the only thing that experts
know for sure is that they must search for answers.
Full Story
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June 2012
The healthcare reform debate has brought familiar
issues to the table - high costs, the growing number of under- or
uninsured, an expanding underserved population - but these are far from
the only topics being pondered. The conventional doctor-centric model of
healthcare is also being questioned in favor of collaborative,
patient-centered care, creating an opportunity for auxiliary healthcare
professionals to gain more responsibility. Audiology, one of the newest
additions to the nonmedical doctoring community, has made astonishing
gains in autonomy since its inception after World War II and, more
recently, the creation of the doctorate of audiology. That autonomy is
still in its infancy, but it shares many obstacles with other doctoring
professions, such as chiropracty, physical therapy, and optometry, that
hold lessons for audiology.
Full Story
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April 2012
Careercast.com, a job search website, has once
again included "audiologist" on its list of Top 10 Jobs for 2012. Not only
is audiologist included again, but also the profession has moved up the
rankings, from number nine in 2011, to number six in 2012. Why is
audiologist so highly rated in 2012 out of a long list of jobs?
Careercast.com relies partly on employment data from the United States
Bureau of Labor Statistics regarding income level, stress levels, physical
work, and safety, as well as current demand and supply. The company
further generalizes these into "Environment, Income, Outlooks, Stress, and
Physical Demands." . . . Overall, audiologists are ranked in the top 10
due to low physical demands, a relatively low-stress and safe working
environment, combined with a good 2012 hiring outlook and income growth
potential for those entering the profession. Careercast.com also estimates
that audiologists have an average income of around $67,000 a year.
Full Story
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April 2012
As professionals in the hearing care industry, we
all aim to achieve a fine balance between a wearer's need for better
speech intelligibility, preferred sound quality, and personal lifestyle
preferences-cosmetics, robustness, comfort, etc. It is in this effort that
we progress and evolve as an industry. Discreetness has always been a
driving force behind hearing aid design and manufacturing. For decades,
completely-in-the-canal (CIC) and more recently IIC
(invisible-in-the-canal) hearing aids have solicited considerable sums in
R&D and sales, along with significant consumer desire and attention.
Well-known obstacles to hearing aid adoption and common perceptions of
hearing aid wearers may all factor into the drive for smaller, more
discreet instruments. There is a large variety of custom hearing aid
options on the market today-all with varying forms and functions. Yet, it
is consumer desire for invisibility and comfort that encourages
manufacturers to develop smaller, deeper-placed hearing instruments.
Fitting hearing aids deeply into the external ear canal produces pleasing
acoustic and aesthetic benefits. Deep-fitting hearing aids available
today range from disposable, extended-wear, analog solutions to
conventional digital hearing aids with a standard zinc air battery.
Full Story
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November 2011
A recent conflict between the Academy of Doctors
of Audiology (ADA) and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
that culminated in a lawsuit may now be coming to a close, but the issues
that created the dispute seem likely to remain. Letters to audiologists
regarding certification renewal by ASHA-which the ADA asserted in the suit
contain "false statements"-have now been revised, but they do not go far
enough, according to the attorney representing the ADA. "The revised
language needs to be consistent and clear, not inconsistent and artful,"
said Robert Gippin, ADA's lead counsel, in a mid-August letter to ASHA's
legal team. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western
District of Pennsylvania, prompted ASHA to fire back that the ADA's
accusations were baseless. The subject of the suit-letters that told
recipients who did not renew their certification of clinical competence in
audiology (CCC-A) that they could no longer serve as clinical
supervisors-has been modified by the association
Full Story
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January 2011
Patients with poor word understanding challenge
our skills. They want to hear their friends and families. Yet, simplistic
approaches like turning up the volume often backfire; the problem gets
worse rather than better. This month, I want to quickly review the science
of improving word understanding and then discuss the fine art of improving
it. Most hard-of-hearing people hear well if you provide the necessary
speech cues. Science tells us that the percentages of speech information
in the five standard octave bands (250 to 4000 Hz) are: 8%, 14%, 22%, 23%,
and 33%. The National Acoustic Labs (NAL) used this information to develop
their recommended hearing aid fittings (real-ear targets). Our task is to
ensure the hearing aids we fit provide the recommended amount of
amplification in each zone. Once targets are matched, you have exhausted
most of the science. To my knowledge, there are no other simple and
straightforward science-based recommendations we can use.
Full Story
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August 2010
There has been an increasing emphasis on
communication skills in medical and allied professional courses in the
West over the last 10 years. The evidence shows that this not only
improves the relationship between client and practitioner but also
improves concordance. This seems particularly appropriate in a profession
such as hearing health care, which relies on patient compliance with
regimens (eg, hearing aid use following the initial consultation), in
order for the relationship to continue on a proper footing. For this
reason, it's appropriate to examine the communication and consultation
skills used in the teaching and practice of medicine, then adapt
appropriate behaviors for the field of hearing care. Understanding the
clients' perspective about their hearing impairment and their use of
assistive devices is vital to any joint attempt to introduce change into
their lives. In order to understand that perspective, narrative-based
medicine has some useful insights to offer as well. This article addresses
the fear often expressed by clinicians that there is no time to listen to
the client's story during the consultation by looking at the similarity
between the clinical encounters relying on physical examinations. These
three things-narrative-based medicine, communication skills, and
client-centered hearing care-are the focus of this article.
Full Story
