What to expect from your hearing assessment appointment.
Your hearing assessment appointment may take up to 60 minutes.
You will be seen by an Audiologist who will discuss any hearing difficulties you may be experiencing and any impact these are having at home, work, or socially. They will take a medical history and examine your ears. The hearing test itself will typically take between 15-30 minutes.
You will be asked to sit in a soundproof room, wearing headphones, and press the button every time you hear a sound. Your results are plotted on a graph called an audiogram, and this will show the quietest level you can hear across a range of pitches in each of your ears. Depending on your results, some further short tests may be necessary.
The results of your test will be available immediately, and your audiologist will go through these with you.
If your hearing test indicates you are suitable for a hearing aid/s, your audiologist will discuss with you how you wish to proceed and the options available to you on the NHS. They will talk through hearing aid choices, their benefits and limitations to help you make an informed decision about what is right for you.
The outcome of your appointment may be either that:
Your hearing is within normal limits.
You have a hearing loss that will benefit from a hearing aid/s
You require an onward referral to an ENT specialist, either made by us or your GP.
You would benefit from being seen by another service within the Audiology department.
You will leave your appointment with an individual management plan (IMP). This is a summary of your hearing test and any actions agreed between you and your audiologist. You and your GP will both receive a printed copy of your full hearing test results in the post.
If you are returning for another appointment at Chesterfield Royal Hospital you can make this at the Audiology reception. If you have been seen at a community clinic, you will receive details of your next appointment by post.
What to expect from a hearing aid fitting appointment
Your appointment will last approximately 45-60 minutes.
At the start of your appointment, the audiologist will examine your ears and check the fit of your hearing aid(s).
All of the hearing aids we supply are Behind The Ear (BTE) hearing aids. The specific make and model of the hearing aid are chosen depending on the severity of your hearing loss and individual needs. Your hearing aid/s are programmed to your level of hearing loss, recorded in your hearing test and further fine-tuned to an optimal prescription target.
You will be given one of two earpieces either a customised ear mould or minifit corda tubes with a dome. This will again be chosen based on the severity of hearing loss, in addition to factors such as manual dexterity and eyesight.
Once the hearing aids are set up the Audiologist will explain how the hearing aids work and show you how to use them at home.
You will be supplied with replacement batteries, and given a battery record book and information booklet with the following details and advice to refer back to at home.
We will give you a questionnaire and ask you to return this 4-5 weeks after your fitting so we can assess how you are getting on with your hearing aid. The questionnaire covers questions on ease of use and comfort, maintenance of the aids, sound quality and satisfaction. Upon receipt of your questionnaire we can offer you an appointment to discuss any difficulties you may be experiencing.
Your GP will be informed of the outcome of your hearing aid fitting appointment.
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