Tools for Hearing Aids
Tools for Hearing Aids
Part 2
The following is a collection of twenty-second examples of the most common patient communication enquiries for the two most common types of appointments at a private clinic in London.
The BOX method – can be used in combination with The Line method for a more complete picture of your thoughts about your hearing loss and motivation to act on it.
Case 4: A patient with a longstanding hearing loss who has recently begun accepting it
– “How much are hearing aids?”
PREPARATION
1 – The clinician will review how their services work and how to access them based on your circumstances.
2 – Using The BOX method
“I can arrange for the receptionist to contact you to arrange an appointment to discuss hearing aids when we have more time”
Case 5: A patient with longstanding hearing loss who is still in denial
– “The wax removal has helped a lot; I can hear much better”
PRE-CONTEMPLATION
1- The clinician will explore the impact of hearing loss and pass on relevant information about further appointments or the matters addressed in the appointment, as well ways to contact the clinic.
2- The clinician will explain the different stages of the journey that you are on
“What are your experiences communicating with the people who are closest to you? Would you mind if I gave you this information about communication tactics?”
Case 6: A patient has a referable condition that is suitable for aiding following further investigations
– “Do you know if there is anything out there that can help me?”
– PREPARATION
1- The clinician will review how a referral works and how to access their services during or after investigations based on the your circumstances.
“I will send you the letter to give to your GP and follow up with you in 3 months to check the outcome of the investigations, you can always get in touch with me before then… Any other questions?”
Case 7: A patient under 50 years old with a diagnosed hearing loss
– “I have had a hearing loss for a while but it’s becoming more noticeable”
RELAPSE
1- The clinician will explore the positive experiences you might have had with hearing aids or when you could hear better.
2- Using the Line and the Box method
“What is your experience hearing people?” or “In what situations are you finding it more difficult to cope?” or “What are the coping strategies you use that are no longer as helpful?”
Hearing assessment appointment cases
Case 8: A patient going to NHS for hearing aids
– “I just wanted to see what else was out there”
ACTION
1- The clinician will establish common ground to discover your views and needs
2- The clinician will discuss the personal benefits of improved communication in context of discussed needs
Abbreviated Profile Of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB)
Case 9: A patient who knows they have recently come to the realisation that they may have a hearing loss
– “People kept telling me I needed help, but it was only when my partners mother complained about the TV being too loud I really took notice”
CONTEMPLATION
1- Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ)
2- Using the LINE method
“What is it that they kept telling you?”
Case 10: A patient who already wears a private hearing aid
– “Is there anything better out there than what I already have?”
MAINTENANCE
1- The clinician will ask and answer questions about how you are managing their hearing loss. Use the Glasgow Hearing Aid Benefit Profile (GHABP)
2- Communication Strategies – how to use hearing aids better
3- Using the Box method to explore the situation
“What is it that you are hoping is better about a new hearing aid?
Case 11: A patient with a diagnosed longstanding hearing loss who has just begun to accept it.
– “I just thought, you know what, I can’t go on like this and it’s affecting my family”
PREPARATION
1- The clinician will explain how a hearing aid trial works and the prices, ways to pay, terms and conditions answer any other questions
2- Using the BOX method
3- Using the questions from the Client Oriented Scale Of Improvement (COSI)
“Hearing aids can be trialled for 2 weeks to see if you find them helpful in the situations we discussed… Would you want to know what the prices are and ways you can pay?”
Case 12: A patient with longstanding hearing loss who is still in denial
– “My daughter made me come here”
PRECONTEMPLATION
1- The clinician will explore the impact of hearing loss and pass on information relevant to appointments or matters addressed and ways to contact the clinic.
2- Using questions from the Hearing Handicap Questionnaire (HHQ)
“What are your experiences communicating with Significant Others? The different stages of the patient journey. Would you mind if I gave you this information about communication tactics?”
Case 13: A patient with a referable condition that is suitable for aiding following further investigations
– “’I knew there was something wrong’”
ACTION
1- The clinician will establish common ground by validating the you and to discover your views and needs
2- The clinician will discuss the personal benefits of improved communication in context of discussed needs
“Having your concerns addressed is the first step in improving communication for you”
Case 15: A patient under 50 years old with a diagnosed hearing loss
– “I always thought there was something wrong since school, explains a lot”
PREPERATION
1- The clinician will review possible next steps based on patients’ needs
2- The clinician will answer questions about how this could have affected them over the years.
3- The clinician will use the BOX method if the you are still not sure about whether to get help.
“I can refer you to your GP to explore your options within the NHS and I can also explain how the process of purchasing hearing aids works at this practice. What questions do you want to ask me?”
