Hearing Views

The  June 13, 2017 post entitled “A Gold Standard” elicited a nice response from Mark Ashmore: (His) Comment: Quite clearly Pure Tone Audiometry does not deserve to be referred to as “Gold Standard”. It is flawed as a result of outdated calibration methods, outdated hardware, poor execution and over reliance on the test by too many. Having said that, the

by Granville Y Brady Jr, AuD This post explores the use of PSAPs and OTC hearing aids used to treat hearing difficulty and the possible liability incurred when these devices fail to meet a patient’s expectations or cause the patient to be harmed. Some consumers who purchase PSAP’s and OTC’s will likely consult an audiologist to assist them with the

For any audiologist who watched the FTC hearings on April 15th, you will recall the mention of audiology’s “gold standard” a number of times by the members of the first on-stage panel.  For those who didn’t watch, some on the panel seemed to imply that pure tone thresholds are the gold standard for hearing.   The Declining Price of Gold

The following post from David Kirkwood holds as much value today as it did 5 years ago.  It is especially cogent when read in the light of the recent FTC public hearing regarding patient education and empowerment.  Sage advice usually stays in style.   By David H. Kirkwood, June 6 2012 Memorial Day was established as an occasion to honor

Every once in a while, we all should wax poetic.  Lessen the stress.  Rekindle the fires.  Think different thoughts.  Hope for the best. Somewhere in the North Pacific Ocean there is a whale. There are, of course, many whales, if rather fewer than there were a couple of hundred years ago. But this whale is different. It is a male

By Michael J. Metz Dr. Metz is a frequent contributor on the subject of professional ethics.  He published this post in July of 2011. Like so many Hearing Views, his view then retains its relevance in the turbulence of 2017.   In an Internet session, I commented that all audiologists have an obligation to adhere to a code of ethics,

by Mike Metz, PhD, frequent Hearing Views contributor Like the tip of an iceberg, there’s a lot that is not immediately obvious in the HTTM post of April 4th (California Legislation Would Authorize Hearing Aid Dispensers to Conduct Cerumen Management and Tympanometry).  There’s lots of history behind this proposal and lots of politics.  It will be especially interesting to see

by Michael Metz, PhD Harvey Abrams comes through again in a recent posting on this site entitled  “Noise in the Quiet”. Dr. Abrams discusses the value that audiology can add to the patient with the clinical methods we should possess.  He states: Note that I purposely avoided the word “bundling” here because bundling is often associated with a false choice –

Men comprise less than 20% of the audiology workforce according to the latest wage and benefits survey from AAA, published September of 2016.  In fact, the survey participants were almost 83% female this go around.  That puts the audiology profession on par with elementary and middle school teachers (81% female) and far more imbalanced than other so-called “pink-collar” professions such as

In part two of this series, first published in March of 2012, David H. Kirkwood considered the audiology workforce and the audiology training programs which support it. Historical evolution within the field and possible unintended consequences are considered and remain relevant in today’s labor market.     By David H. Kirkwood Last week in this space, I commented on the