How do you approach the challenge of keeping up with the rapid advancements in hearing aid technology, and can you give an example of how this has benefited a patient?

Like our clinical and dispensing colleagues, educational audiologists keep up with the rapid advancements and emerging trends in hearing technologies through a multifaceted approach. Maintaining relationships with regional manufacturer representatives as well as attending professional development sessions, conferences, and seminars are always great sources of information. That said, the source of information that is possibly most accessed by school-based audiologists is the Educational Audiology Association’s list-serve. This vibrant online community provides EAA members a platform for an ongoing exchange of knowledge, resources, and insights (most often technology-specific) as well as opportunities for collaboration with colleagues throughout North America. Educational audiologists must of course have working knowledge of all current hearing technologies but also how these technologies may or may not work together. For example, a hospital establishing a bank of loaner bone conduction amplification (BCA) devices consulted with an educational audiologist who strongly encouraged the hospital to acquire the make and model of BCA device directly compatible with RM-HAT/personal DM technology. Eliminating the need for a streamer reduces technology-complexity in an already busy classroom, making both teacher and student use of hearing technologies simpler and as a result, more successful. By staying knowledgeable of all hearing technology advancements, educational audiologists can provide tailored solutions that positively impact the educational experience of students with hearing difficulties.

A hearing aid or cochlear implant technology is only a small component of rehabilitating hearing loss with amplification. The audiologist must use person-centered care which includes subjective assessments, counseling, assistive technologies, and real-ear measurements to provide the best care. Yes, we need to be educated on the advancements in technology, and I do this through in-person didactic trainings with manufacturers as well as online continuing education courses. I have a patient who is a music engineer and could very distinctly describe the environments he was in and the sound quality he wished to change. By having a hearing aid that allowed me to make multiple program and adjust the technology within the device was very helpful. However he found the most benefit from a smart phone APP that allowed HIM to make adjustments in real-time and save his settings so that I could apply those changes in his standard listening program. These are are all wonderful technology advancements I have seen in the last few years of practicing, but no man-made technology will trump a person understanding their hearing loss, implementing communication and coping strategies along with appropriately fit amplification.