Week 2

Clinic on Tuesday was not very exciting, unfortunately because both hearing conservation clients cancelled. However, the other clinician showed me where things were located in the clinic, and she taught me a few “tricks” such as using the video-otoscope to look inside of a hearing aid to find cerumen.

On Wednesday, I observed a hearing conservation evaluation in order to learn how to complete the appropriate paperwork. However, I didn’t actually observe the clerical part of the evaluation because I began checking a hearing aid that was dropped off in the clinic by a patient’s family member.

My supervisor guided me through the process of cleaning the aid first and then assessing the integrity of the hearing aids with my listening device. The client’s family member noted the right hearing aid wasn’t working properly; however, once the aid was cleaned, I did not hear any feedback or buzzing. The left aid, as the client’s family member reported, was not working. The battery door was also broken on the left aid, so I was able to repair it.

I called the hearing aid manufacturer in order to discover how much repairs would be (out-of-warranty), and their customer service representative informed me that the client’s model of hearing aid was no longer sold and parts were no longer available.

I called the client and explained the situation, and she decided that she would come in for a re-evaluation in July and would explore hearing aid options then. Her family member was also notified that she could pick up the client’s right hearing aid at her convenience.

The following article (Prospective Study of the Microbiological Flora of Hearing Aid Moulds and the Efficacy of Current Cleaning Techniques by N. Ahmad (2007)) contains information about cleaning clients’ hearing aids and explores issues that are important to those who handle hearing aid care. Specifically, infection control and prevention of cross-contamination are discussed in relation to current common practices.

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=c8h&AN=2009528870&site=ehost-live