The case report described here draws attention to a powerful variable, namely offhanded provider remarks, which can negatively influence rehabilitation outcomes, specifically for prelingually deaf adults. This group is known to be highly variable in their audiologic/hearing characteristics (Neuman et al, 2017) such that blanket statements are not likely to apply to a given individual.
Topic(s): Bilateral Hearing Loss, hearing aid, Cochlear Implants (CI), bimodal, audiological rehabilitation services, decision-making, Hearing Aids, speech-language pathology
Case scenario 1...a 30-something audiologist completed a routine diagnostic assessment of a 35-year-old patient referred by her primary-care physician for rather vague complaints of inconsistent difficulty hearing in certain settings.
The audiologist performed tympanometry, pure-tone audiometry, and phonetically-balanced (PB) word recognition testing at a comfortable loudness level. The patient’s history was unremarkable for any obvious etiologies or risks for hearing loss, although she enjoyed listening to loud music.
Topic(s): Audiologist, Audiogram, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Patient care
