Checklists help keep practices on course
Airline pilots always use checklists to land and take off. Regardless of how many years of experience they have or how confident they are in their abilities, they still consult checklists to make absolutely certain they do not deviate from their standard routine. In an emergency or other difficult situation, following a checklist helps keep…
Read MoreMake “Look, listen, evaluate, and solve” your standard operating procedure
Most patients have some problem or a concern about their hearing aids when they return to our office for a follow-up visit. Sometimes, we can quickly remediate their problem by unplugging a sound tube or changing a battery. Other times there is something in the fitting that needs adjusting or we can help the patient…
Read MoreThe fine art of demonstrating the efficacy of a noise-reduction program
In my two previous blog posts, I discussed various ways of clearly showing patients the benefits of hearing aids. I explained how to conduct demonstrations using test words and pulsed warbled test tones. Today I want to talk about demonstrating a hearing aid’s ability to handle “background noise.” But be warned, this topic is fraught…
Read MoreTwo ways to show patients their hearing aids are helping
(The first of three parts) If you are an Audiologist, it is easy to delude yourself into thinking that people will listen to you and accept what you are saying. You spent a lot of time and energy going to graduate school, and you have a license to practice Audiology. So, because you are a…
Read MoreSatisfy hard-to-fit patients with your impression-taking and earmold expertise
If you are working with a hard-to-please patient, I suggest that you introduce two concepts at the same time: maximum comfort (what feels good to wear) and maximum hearing (the fitting that will give the patient the “best” hearing). When a new hearing aid user is finicky, you need to win instant approval from the…
Read MoreTo help patients communicate better, we need to sharpen our own communication skills
As audiologists and hearing aid specialists, we are all in the communication business. It’s our job to help our patients communicate better. It’s only natural, then, that there will be times and situations in the practice of our profession that we are called upon to make an extra effort to communicate effectively with the people…
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