- Real ear measurement is
the single most important procedure
when programming a set of hearing aids,
yet the vast majority of hearing care providers
still do not perform this critical measurement
during your hearing aid fitting.
So in this video, I'm gonna share
with you six other things that this type
of hearing care provider often neglects,
which will also cost you performance with your hearing aids.
Coming up.
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- Hi, guys, Cliff Olson, doctor of audiology
and founder of Applied Hearing Solutions
in Phoenix, Arizona.
And on this channel, I cover a bunch
of hearing related information to help make you
a better informed consumer.
So if you're into that, make sure you hit
that subscribe button.
And don't forget to click the bell
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Every time a hearing care provider programs a set
of hearing aids without performing real ear measurement,
an angel loses their wings.
This is because time and time again,
research proves that verifying hearing aid programming
using real ear measurement is the best and only way
to ensure that an individual is maximizing
their performance with hearing aids,
both in quiet environments and noisy environments.
However, most hearing care providers would rather come up
with excuses to justify not performing
these critical verification measures,
instead of ensuring that their patients
are actually hearing their best.
But this is not a video about real ear measurement,
no, no, no, this is a video about all of
the other things that this type of hearing care provider
are likely not performing if they're willing
to forgo a procedure as fundamental as real ear measurement.
But really quick, before I get into these things,
if you don't know what really measurement is,
I highly recommend that you check out my video
that I will link in the description,
because real ear measurement is
the most important thing when it comes
to maximizing your performance with hearing aids.
All right, back to the things
that your hearing care provider is likely not doing
if they don't perform real ear measurement,
is not testing your ability to hear
in a background noise situation.
But if your hearing care provider is not going to take
the time to perform real ear measurement,
it is highly likely that they will also not take
the time to test your speech understanding ability
in a background noise situation.
Unfortunately, without this information,
it is impossible for us to know how well you should expect
to perform in background noise.
And it's also impossible for us to know
if we've optimized your hearing aids
to perform in background noise as well.
This leads me to the second thing
that a hearing care provider
who does not perform real ear measurement
will also often neglect,
which is the discussion of assistive listening devices.
Assisted listening devices,
like remote microphones or TV streamers,
are things that will help you hear substantially better
in background noise and at a distance.
These types of devices take a good amount of time
to explain, set up and train you on,
but they are hands down the best way
to help you hear better if hearing aids just aren't enough.
The third thing that a hearing care provider
who does not perform real ear measurement
is also not likely to do,
is recommend hearing technology that is best for you.
Oftentimes, in order to save time, a hearing care provider
will end up recommending you technology
that they happen to be most familiar with,
rather than taking the time to identify
what your specific wants and needs are
before making a hearing aid recommendation.
This prevents them from having to ask you a bunch
of questions or having to explain a variety
of different hearing aid features
and options at your initial hearing aid consultation.
I mean, come on, if they're not willing to take 20 minutes
to incorporate real ear measurement
to a hearing aid fitting, what makes you think
that they're gonna take the time to identify
the exact right hearing aid for you when they can just go
and recommend whatever hearing aid they have on the shelf?
The fourth thing that this type
of hearing care provider is likely not doing,
is performing hearing aid diagnostic test box measures.
Test box measures are what hearing care professionals use
to ensure that your hearing aids
are meeting manufacturer specifications for performance.
If your hearing aids
are not meeting manufacturer specifications,
then your hearing aids
are not mechanically functioning properly.
Why does this matter?
Well, if your hearing aids
are not meeting manufacturer specifications
for output, gain, distortion and equivalent input noise
when amplifying sound, then your hearing aid performance
is going to be significantly reduced.
Some industry data suggests that 10 to 20%
of hearing aids that come new or repaired
from hearing aid manufacturers
are not meeting manufacturer specifications,
which means that these types of hearing care providers
are actually fitting you with hearing aids
that are not performing correctly.
But hey, if they're willing to let you leave the clinic
with hearing aids that have not been programmed correctly
using real ear measurement,
then they are more than likely okay
with you walking out of their clinic with hearing aids
that are not mechanically functioning properly.
The fifth thing that a hearing care provider
who does not perform real ear measurement
is also likely not doing,
is administering a subjective outcome questionnaire.
Real ear measurement is a form
of objective hearing aid verification,
but subjective outcome questionnaires
are a form of hearing aid validation.
Just asking the question, how does that sound,
does not count as a form
of subjective hearing aid validation.
How is anybody supposed to know
if you're actually overcoming your hearing difficulties
unless we rate your performance using
a research proven validation tool,
like the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids,
the Client Oriented Scale of Improvement,
or the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit.
The sad thing is completing these questionnaires
or a variety of other validated questionnaires
only takes a few minutes and can provide valuable insight
for how well you're actually performing
with your hearing aids in a variety of different situations.
That being said, if your hearing care provider
does not perform real ear measurement,
then they likely will not want you to complete
a validated outcome questionnaire
because it will likely reveal lower
than expected patient satisfaction scores.
And the sixth and final thing that I will be talking
about in this video that a hearing care provider
who does not perform really measurement
will also likely not do, is provide you with high-quality,
long-term follow-up care.
Since it is likely that this type of hearing care provider
is not really concerned with your maximum performance
with hearing aids if they don't perform real ear measurement
on you very early on in the fitting process,
then it is also likely that they don't really care
about your maximum performance over the long-term.
If you are not having a minimum of two follow-up visits
a year to do things like additional audiologic testing,
preventative maintenance on your hearing aids
and ear wax removal, then it is likely that you're going
to be running into issues down the road.
Now, there is a good chance
that you actually spent thousands of dollars
on your hearing aids and the care that comes along with it,
and if that is the case, wouldn't you want to ensure
that your hearing aids are always performing their best?
Not to mention it is also likely that your hearing
will get worse as the years go by,
which means that your hearing aids
will require consistent reprogramming.
So why wouldn't these providers
want you to come back regularly?
Well, the answer to that is that these visits take time,
and most of these hearing care providers
would rather you only come back
when it's time to purchase your next set of devices.
Now I hate to be a Debbie Downer,
but when it comes to things like this,
I can't help but think of all the things that these types
of hearing care providers are willing to cut corners on
if they're not willing to perform a fundamental procedure
like real ear measurement.
And this list of six different things
that I just mentioned is by no means an exhaustive list.
Now, if you want to ensure that real ear measurement
is performed, and all the other things
that I just got done talking about are done as well,
then you want to make sure that you find a local provider,
and the easiest way to do this
is go to the drcliffaud.com website.
Once you're on the website,
if you click on the Find a Provider tab,
you can search for a local hearing care professional
in your area who is committed to following best practices,
and who will act as a fiduciary on your behalf.
Having an excellent hearing care professional
in your corner is one of the best ways to ensure
that you maximize your performance with hearing aids.
And if your hearing care professional
is one of the only 30% of hearing care professionals
who performs real ear measurement,
then you're off to a great start.
That's it for this video.
If you have any questions,
leave them in the comment section below.
If you liked the video, please share it,
and if you want to see other videos just like this one,
go ahead and hit that subscribe button.
Also, feel free to check out my website, drcliffaud.com.
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