Editor’s Top-10 Picks and “Must Reads” in HR During 2013

Top-10 Articles

The Hearing Review published many excellent articles this year, and picking my favorites was more difficult than in any other year in recent memory. Here is my Top-10 list, along with a number of articles that just as well could have been listed in the Top-10. HR thanks all our wonderful contributors in 2013.

—Karl Strom, editor in chief

April 2013 Why the Audiogram Is Upside-down? By James Jerger, PhD, with Foreword by Ross J. Roeser, PhD? One of our field’s most accomplished audiologists tells the story about the evolution of the audiogram, the three great researchers who shaped it, and how the audiogram came to be upside-down.

March 2013 EuroTrak + JapanTrak 2012: Societal and Personal Benefits of Hearing Rehabilitation with Hearing Aids By Søren Hougaard, Stefan Ruf, and Christian Egger EuroTrak II—the world’s largest survey of consumer perspectives on hearing aids— extends its reach to consumers’ use of hearing aids in six European countries and Japan.

May 2013 Speech-in-Noise Testing: A Pragmatic Addendum to Hearing Aid Fittings? By Douglas L. Beck, AuD, and Michael Nilsson, PhD? Here’s why SIN testing should become a standard part of every audiology diagnostic test battery—and how you can develop your own “homemade” SIN test.

May 2013 How to Establish a Successful Tinnitus Clinic? By Michael Piskosz, MS? Here are the basics on how to set up a tinnitus treatment program in your practice.

June 2013 Hearing Aid Battery Consumption Issues: A Consumers’ Guide? By Denis Carpenter and Ann Rule? The factors involved in hearing aid battery consumption, as well as a 2-page consumer handout for use by your practice.

November 2013 A Time-efficient Method and Form for Documenting  Hearing Aid Benefit By Ron J. Leavitt, AuD, and Liza R. Knowles, MS, CRC An evidence-based approach to reporting hearing aid performance.

The Evolution of Directionality: Have Developments Led to Greater Benefit for Hearing Aid Users? By Laurel A. Christensen, PhD A review of directional technology in the digital age and tips and caveats for using it.

January 2013 Considerations in Verifying Frequency Lowering By Francis Kuk, PhD The key to a successful fitting is verification. Fittings involving frequency lowering algorithms are no exception. Here’s how to verify them.

A Broader Look at Performance and Personalization in Hearing Aid Fittings? By Julie Neel Weile, MA; Lia Santiago, AuD; Craig W. Newman, PhD; and? Sharon A. Sandridge, PhD? How are personalization and the user’s preference and performance related? A quartet of excellent researchers has some answers.

November 2013 Interventional Audiology: Partnering with Physicians to Deliver Integrative and Preventive Hearing Care By Brian Taylor, AuD, and Bob Tysoe As we come to realize hearing health is a vital part of general health, the obvious becomes clear: physicians need dispensing professionals, and we need physicians.

 

Other “Must Read” Articles and Pages in 2013

The Importance of Captioned Telephone Service in Meeting the Communication Needs of People with Hearing Loss?

By Sergei Kochkin, PhD?

Captioned service telephones and their usefulness by consumers with all degrees of hearing loss—from mild to severe. (March 2013)

How to Verify Wireless Technology

By Peter Kossek and Charlotte T. Jespersen, MA

Practical step-by-step tips and examples for verifying wireless features. (Oct 2013)

Blog Page: Gender Politics: “Women Jobs” and “Women Wages”?

By Holly Hosford-Dunn, PhD

“Any way you slice it—big professions, doctoring professions, female segregated professions—women make less than men, especially if they’re in with a bunch of other women,” writes Dr Dunn. (Sept 2013)

Back to Basics: Slope of PI Function Is Not 10%-per-dB in Noise for All Noises and for All Patients

By Marshall Chasin, AuD

It’s not necessarily true that 1 dB SNR improvement automatically leads to 10% improvement in word recognition. Here’s why. (Oct 2013)

Why You Should Say “Yes” to the Age-old Question of “Should I Use an Assistant??

By Gyl A. Kasewurm, AuD?

As hearing healthcare practices are faced with declining reimbursement, increased competition, and a declining workforce, the question has become “Can we afford NOT to use assistants in our practices?” (July 2013)

Final Word: A Look Forward 10 Years to 2023

By Dennis Van Vliet, AuD

What we’re likely to see in the next decade… (August 2013)

Back to Basics: The Limitations and Benefits of Flared Tubing?

By Marshall Chasin, AuD

A couple of “old tricks” from the pre-digital age still prove to be very useful. (Sept 2013)

President Reagan’s Hearing Aids: Dr Tom Powers on His Oval Office Fitting

By John Urbaniak with Thomas Powers, PhD

A first-hand account of the fitting of President Reagan. (Fall 2013 Hearing Review Products)

ASHA, AAA, and ADA Clash Over Legislative Strategy

By David H. Kirkwood

An excellent update on the ongoing strife between the three major audiology organizations to support their members’ ability to serve Medicare beneficiaries. (August 2013)

An Automated System to Improve Hearing Aid Settings for Non-English Speakers

By Marshall Chasin, AuD, and Neil S. Hockley, MSc

There are subtle linguistic differences between many of the world’s languages that are not taken into account by the language-specific SII or the LTASS. (April 2013)

Teleaudiology for Enhanced Hearing Care: Merging Traditional Face-to-Face with FaceTime?

By Mona Dworsack-Dodge, AuD?

Examples of teleaudiology in use today and ideas about how you can employ this technology in your practice today. (August 2013)

Influence of Perceived Value on Hearing Aid Adoption and Re-adoption Intent

By Amyn M. Amlani, PhD

Unbundling definitely has its benefits. Here’s another very good reason. (March 2013 Hearing Review Products)

Blog Page: My Fair Lady

By Robert Martin, PhD

Dr Martin tells a wonderful story about a wonderful patient: “I heard a cat,” she once told me. “It makes a funny sound.” I can still see the smile on her face when she said that. (June 2013)

The Final Word: Don’t Judge a Patient by His Prius…

By Dennis Van Vliet, PhD

Like it or not, we live in a world of stereotyping and in a field that uses large-set group averaging. But patients are individuals, and we need to analyze their individual results and preferences to determine an optimal fitting. (June 2013)

Beware of Unsavory Practices in Vestibular Testing

By Alan Desmond, AuD

The reason why “Balance Clinic Packages” were suddenly being promoted to physician groups that had not previously shown any interest in vestibular testing. (March 2013)

Acoustic Middle Ear Reflexes: Simple, Underused, and Critically Important

By Douglas L. Beck, AuD, and David P. Speidel, MS

The utility of the AMER has increased dramatically due to its relatively easy and important contribution in diagnosing auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder. (February 2013)

Has Costco Become King of US Hearing Aid Retailing?

By Karl E. Strom

With an annual growth rate of 26% during the last five years and about 500 hearing aid dispensing outlets staffed by trained and licensed professionals, Costco has emerged as perhaps the dominant retail force. (September 2013)