The Audiology team showing us how it’s done!

More than 14.5 per cent of the general Australian population have some kind of hearing loss, with this percentage increasing when applied to RBWH patients. The RBWH audiology team provides a vital service to the wider hospital through assessing and treating hearing and vestibular problems. We sat down with RBWH Senior Audiologist Kristy Moore to find out how the team can help your patients and dispel some common myths about the service!

What is audiology?

Audiology is an allied health profession that assesses hearing and vestibular problems as well as treating hearing problems. This ranges from hearing aids and assistive listening devices to switching on and programming surgically implanted devices such as cochlear implants and bone anchored hearing aids.

What assessments do audiologists perform?

Testing may include a standard hearing test which assesses hearing thresholds, site of hearing loss, basic speech discrimination and middle ear function, or be more extensive such as assessing the hearing nerve, or any one of the five balance organs of each ear. We also provide diagnostic hearing and vestibular hearing assessments.

Myth: Audiologists are based on the wards

Fact: The RBWH audiology team are predominantly an outpatient clinic and do not directly work on the ward. As the testing requires the use of a soundproof booth for testing accuracy and non-mobile equipment, most testing is required within our department.

Occasionally we will see inpatients from the ward. They may have experienced a significant change to their hearing following a stroke or other medical condition, following surgery or have begun an ototoxic medication as part of their treatment. 

Myth: Patients can come to the audiology department in their bed

Fact: Patients must be either mobile or in a wheelchair. We cannot get patients beds into our soundproof booths. If a patient cannot attend in this way, we can provide a basic hearing screening at the patient’s bedside however this will most likely need to be redone due to the impact of noise on test results from the ward.

Fact: The audiology team provides hearing aids for patients

Fact: We do not provide hearing aids – they are provided within the community. Patients need to obtain hearing aids from hearing aid providers either privately (self-funded) or those who are eligible (pensioners, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders over 50 years, adults under 26 years) can be provided services through the government’s ‘Hearing services scheme’. Programming and providing hearing aids is a specialised audiology service that is outside the scope of hospital audiology services.

Fact: The audiology team fixes hearing aids

Truth: If you suspect a patient’s hearing aid is not working, first check that there is a fresh correct size battery installed. Close your hand around the hearing aid, and if you get a whistle sound it is most likely not working. If the patient does not know how to fix the problem, you can call our team to schedule a time for the audiologist to check the aid. We are able to change the battery and clean the aid of wax, however we are unable to perform repairs beyond this.