What is an Audiologist?  

Audiologist is a healthcare professional who specializes in diagnosing, managing and treating hearing & balance disorders. Audiologist work with doctors, speech-language therapists and other healthcare professionals to provide comprehensive care for patients with hearing loss. They are crucial for helping patients with hearing loss and also for regular maintenance of the amplification devices. In this article, we will elaborate on the importance of audiologists in cochlear implant & hearing aid care.  

Device Selection & Fitting  

For hearing aids, audiologists will select & program hearing aids to match the patient’s specific hearing loss. This is also done by considering the patient’s lifestyle & preferences. Nowadays, there are a variety of hearing aid types & models available for patients to choose from. Audiologists will guide & also recommend some of the models that are suitable for each case. However, for cochlear implant, this same process is called cochlear implant mapping. After implantation, audiologist will program the device to optimize sound quality & speech understanding for the patient.   

Rehabilitation & Counseling  

After the hearing aid fitting or cochlear implant mapping, audiologists will provide training & therapy to help patients adapt to their amplification devices. Improvement of patients listening & speech skills is the objective of the auditory rehabilitation process. Counseling is also part of the process where guidance & emotional support are given to ensure patients & their families member understand the hearing loss & adjust to the use of hearing aids or cochlear implants. It is important to ensure patients know the benefit of wearing or using their devices so that the rehabilitation process can occur without any delay. Encouragement to the patients is needed when patients are starting to show signs of giving up or reluctant to wear their devices.   

Ongoing Support & Maintenance   

Hearing aids & cochlear implants need regular maintenance which audiologist can provide by doing troubleshooting, repairs & cleaning. A follow-up appointment will be given to patients to ensure changes in terms of sound adjustment are given when necessaries especially when patients hearing loss is deteriorating. Audiologists are often given detailed product training to ensure they are prepared to assist patients with their devices. They will let patients know that audiologist is the person they are looking for if they have any trouble with their hearing aids or cochlear implants.  

Patient Education & Interdisciplinary Collaboration  

Audiologists educate patients on proper device usage, maintenance, and strategies for improving communication in different environments. Even after the hearing aid fitting or cochlear mapping session is done, audiologists will elaborate on communication strategies that will further help these patients communicate without a problem. They will recommend what to do in situations that are difficult for listening or communicating. Other than that, they work closely with surgeons, speech-language therapists, and other healthcare professionals to provide comprehensive care for patients with hearing loss.   

In conclusion, by combining their expertise in technology and patient care, audiologists ensure that individuals with hearing loss achieve the best possible outcomes with their hearing aids or cochlear implants. Even with the latest or future technology, audiologists will always remain the people we look for when it comes to this matter. Audiologists will keep learning & keep up to date with the advancement made in their field for the benefit of the people who are struggling to hear better.   

Aminudin Idris, Senior Audiologist at 20dB Hearing Ipoh