Training activity information
Details
Select an appropriate hearing aid, and verify and evaluate the benefit for routine adult patients
Type
Entrustable training activity (ETA)
Evidence requirements
Evidence the activity has been undertaken by the trainee repeatedly, consistently, and effectively over time, in a range of situations. This may include occasions where the trainee has not successfully achieved the outcome of the activity themselves. For example, because it was not appropriate to undertake the task in the circumstances or the trainees recognised their own limitations and sought help or advice to ensure the activity reached an appropriate conclusion.
Reflection at multiple timepoints on the trainee learning journey for this activity.
Considerations
- Patient centred care and support
- Evidence base for different methods of verification
- Local and national guidelines and international best practice
Reflective practice guidance
The guidance below is provided to support reflection at different time points, providing you with questions to aid you to reflect for this training activity. They are provided for guidance and should not be considered as a mandatory checklist. Trainees should not be expected to provide answers to each of the guidance questions listed.
Before action
- What does success look like for selecting, verifying, and evaluating a hearing aid for a routine adult patient?e.g., What criteria are used to select an appropriate hearing aid? What are the standard procedures for verification (e.g., Real Ear Measurement) and subjective evaluation of benefit?
- What is your prior experience with hearing aid selection, verification, or evaluation? e.g., What do you know about different hearing aid technologies and fitting principles? What challenges might arise during fitting or verification, and how will you prepare? What is your scope of practice in selecting and fitting hearing aids? How do you feel about fitting a patient with a hearing aid?
- What do you anticipate you will learn from this experience? e.g., What skills related to matching hearing aids to patient needs, conducting verification measures, or assessing subjective benefit do you want to develop? What insights do you hope to gain about the practical aspects of hearing aid fittings?
- What additional considerations you need to make? e.g., Have you reviewed fitting protocols or specific hearing aid manufacturer guidelines? Are there any patient factors e.g., manual dexterity, cosmetic concerns, that might influence the selection or fitting process?
In action
- Are you noticing anything surprising or different from what you anticipate during the process of selecting, verifying, and evaluating the benefit of a hearing aid for a routine adult patient? Are you encountering situations such as:
- The patient having unexpected anatomical considerations (e.g., unusual ear canal shape, active ear drainage) that make standard hearing aid fitting difficult or contra-indicated?
- Real Ear Measurement (REM) results deviating significantly from target, despite expected settings and proper probe tube placement?
- The patient expressing immediate dissatisfaction, discomfort, or unexpected challenges with the hearing aid during initial fitting or trial, despite objective verification?
- Objective verification measures not aligning with the patient’s subjective reports of benefit, or vice versa?
- Unexpected issues with programming software, wireless connectivity to the hearing aid, or accessory pairing during the fitting process?
- How does this experience compare with previous experiences of similar activities?
- How is this impacting your actions? For example, are you responding to the situation appropriately? Are you adapting or changing your approach to the procedure? Is it affecting your ability to undertake the activity independently? Consider the steps you are taking in the moment, such as:
- Are you immediately re-checking the physical fit of the hearing aid, re-running REMs, or re-verifying programming settings?
- Are you consulting hearing aid programming guides, troubleshooting manuals, or best practice guidelines for fitting challenges?
- Are you seeking advice from a more experienced colleague or your training officer regarding an unusual fitting challenge or patient complaint?
- Are you changing your approach to explaining the hearing aid features, initial wearing instructions, or management of expectations based on the patient’s immediate reaction or objective findings?
- How is any unexpected development being resolved as you progress during the activity? How are you working within your scope of practice? Are you successfully managing the situation yourself, or do you need support because it is beyond your current scope (for example, if complex programming adjustments, custom earmold modifications, or a different device type are needed)?
- What are you learning in this moment as a result of any unexpected development? For example, are you learning new troubleshooting steps for REM discrepancies, or more effective ways to manage patient expectations regarding the initial hearing aid experience?
On action
- Begin by summarising the key points of how you selected, verified, and evaluated the benefit of a hearing aid for a routine adult patient. Detail which specific selection criteria, verification methods (e.g., real-ear measurements), and evaluation tools (e.g., questionnaires) you used.
- Consider specific events or interactions that felt important (e.g., successful fitting, patient’s reaction to sound, challenges with verification measures, discussing expectations). How did you feel during this process?
- Include any ‘reflect-in-action’ moments, where you had to adjust the hearing aid selection or verification process based on patient feedback or immediate real-ear measurements.
- Identify what learning you can take from this experience regarding hearing aid selection, verification, and benefit evaluation.
- What strengths did you demonstrate (e.g., technical knowledge of hearing aids, proficiency in verification equipment, ability to assess patient benefit)?
- What skills and/or knowledge gaps were evident (e.g., deeper understanding of specific hearing aid features, advanced verification techniques, comprehensive benefit evaluation tools)?
- Compare this experience against previous engagements with similar activities. Were any previously identified actions for development achieved? Has your practice in hearing aid fitting improved?
- Identify any challenges you experienced (e.g., difficulty achieving target gain, patient dissatisfaction with initial sound quality, issues with evaluating subjective benefit) and how you reacted to these. Did this affect your ability to deal with the situation? Were you able to overcome the challenges?
- Identify anything significant about this activity, such as needing to seek advice or clarification on hearing aid selection or troubleshooting during verification.
- Identify the actions or ‘next steps’ you will now take to support the assimilation of what you have learned, including from any feedback you received.
- What will you do differently next time you select and fit a hearing aid?
- Has anything changed in terms of what you would do if you were faced with a similar situation again?
- Do you need to practise any specific aspect of hearing aid fitting (e.g., programming software, real-ear measurements, patient counselling on expectations) further?
Beyond action
- Have you revisited your previous reflections (reflect-before-action, reflect-in-action, and reflect-on-action) for this specific activity (selecting, verifying, and evaluating hearing aids for routine adult patients)?
- When reviewing these past reflections, what actions for improvement did you previously identify you would need to take to improve your practice related to matching hearing aids to audiograms and patient needs, performing accurate real ear measurements, conducting thorough benefit evaluations, or explaining hearing aid features and limitations?
- Have you completed these previously identified actions? If not, what are the barriers? If so, how did completing them impact your subsequent performance of this activity? Are you ready to demonstrate this new learning confidently and consistently when performing this task?
- Have you engaged in professional storytelling or discussed your experiences of hearing aid fitting with peers, near peers, or colleagues? Has discussing these experiences with others changed your view or understanding of different hearing aid technologies, common challenges in verification, or effective strategies for managing patient expectations
- Considering your cumulative experiences and reflections on this activity, how will the learning you have gained support you in preparing for relevant observed ‘in-person’ assessments for the module?
- How has your practice related to hearing aid selection, verification, and evaluation developed and evolved over time across multiple instances of undertaking this training activity?
- Can you identify specific examples of improvement or increased confidence in identifying the best hearing aid model, achieving target prescriptive gains, or effectively counselling patients on usage and benefits?
- Based on your experiences, how has your ability to recognise when something related to hearing aid fitting is beyond your scope of practice improved?
- Do you have a clearer understanding of when and from whom (e.g., supervisor, senior audiologist, hearing aid manufacturer technical support) you need to seek advice or clarification regarding unusual fitting challenges, complex patient preferences, or troubleshooting persistent issues?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 4 |
Outcome
Assess and manage hearing function in adults, without co-morbidities. |