BIAP Recommendation n° 06/5

ACCOMPANIMENT AND FOLLOW-UP OF PATIENTS USING HEARING AIDS

Establishing, maintaining or restoring acoustical communication, when dealing with hearing-impaired individuals, can only be achieved if the hearing aid is perfectly tailored to the patient's residual perception and tolerance threshold(1) .

In order to guarantee as complete a rehabilitation as possible, the concept of " adaptation " can not be reduced only to the technical selection and fitting of the device. Success can be achieved only if the technical work goes hand in hand with readily available assistance and thoughtful accompaniment. The follow-up, necessary complement to the actual adaptation(2) act, must take into consideration possible changes in the patient's hearing capacity, his/her progressive adaptation to the prosthesis, variations in the acoustical or social and professional environment, which may lead to adapting the bracing, possible unwanted modifications of the device's characteristics, etc...

These specific aspects in the correction of hearing impairments not only require the establishment of a privileged relationship between patient and hearing aid audiologist, but also, for the audiologist, an actual moral commitment to the patient.

The numerous problems faced in any prosthetic rehabilitation process cannot be solved without the necessary interdisciplinary collaboration between various competent professionals. A good cooperation with the patient's otorhinolaryngologist and GP is necessary. When collaborating with a speech therapist and/or specialised teachers is needed, the hearing aid audiologist shall pay particular attention to the coordination of his/her interventions. If necessary, he/she shall also call upon bodies, associations and groups specialised in the rehabilitation and " re-education " of hearing-impaired patients.

Aix les Bains (F) 1993.05.01