Pub Date : 2023-09-28DOI: 10.1097/01.hj.0000991300.69355.d3
Amy Badstubner, Kari Morgenstein Dermer
This three-part series explores different aspects of professional coaching, including how using coaching techniques can decrease your stress and help you find more opportunities for joy and abundance in your professional and personal lives. Part 1 discusses leading like a coach. Here, we share tools you can put into practice in your career.www.shutterstock.com. Leader, coach, career coach, practice management, practice management series.WHAT IS A CAREER COACH? Let’s first clarify what we mean when we say “coaching.” What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “coach?” Many people will think of a sports coach. Sports coaches work with athletes to analyze their performance, showcase opportunities for growth, and champion their athletes to be the best they can be at a specific sport. Career coaches share many similarities to sports coaches. A career coach can help you see possible blind spots in your own life and help you develop and accomplish your goals. Career coaches are there to hold a space for you to identify any blocks, limiting beliefs, interpretations, or assumptions you may be making about your life experiences that are limiting you from living the life you want—personally or professionally. Career coaching helps individuals consciously connect with their core thoughts and emotions.1 Moreover, we often hear the word “coach” used interchangeably with mentor, consultant, and friend. For the purpose of this series, we are going to define mentor as a role model, perhaps someone that has already walked a similar path that you wish to walk. A mentor may also share personal experiences and tell you what they did to be successful. Consultants typically have an agenda, with possible answers, that they bring to the client or business. These individuals serve a purpose and can have a huge impact on your life. We use them ourselves with great benefit! LEADING LIKE A COACH Many of us have been a leader at some point in our lives. With traditional leadership (or command-and-control leadership) it can look like, and often feel like, “this is the way we are going, and you will follow.”2 This type of leadership is needed at times. The limitation with traditional leadership is that it reinforces to your team the assumption that you, as the leader, have all the answers. It does not leave much room for the team member to triage and create a solution themselves. Leading like a coach can help encourage your team’s development by asking them questions instead of always giving a solution. It allows you to support problem solving instead of making judgments. This can encourage your team to see the world and the workplace with a different perspective. It can give team members the freedom to embrace a new way of thinking and allow them to act with motivation to achieve a specific result.3 However, this can be difficult, especially for health care professionals like audiologists, as we are accustomed to identifying and diagnosing audiologic pro
{"title":"Inspiring Success at Your Practice: Part 1 - Leading With a Coaching Mindset","authors":"Amy Badstubner, Kari Morgenstein Dermer","doi":"10.1097/01.hj.0000991300.69355.d3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/01.hj.0000991300.69355.d3","url":null,"abstract":"This three-part series explores different aspects of professional coaching, including how using coaching techniques can decrease your stress and help you find more opportunities for joy and abundance in your professional and personal lives. Part 1 discusses leading like a coach. Here, we share tools you can put into practice in your career.www.shutterstock.com. Leader, coach, career coach, practice management, practice management series.WHAT IS A CAREER COACH? Let’s first clarify what we mean when we say “coaching.” What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “coach?” Many people will think of a sports coach. Sports coaches work with athletes to analyze their performance, showcase opportunities for growth, and champion their athletes to be the best they can be at a specific sport. Career coaches share many similarities to sports coaches. A career coach can help you see possible blind spots in your own life and help you develop and accomplish your goals. Career coaches are there to hold a space for you to identify any blocks, limiting beliefs, interpretations, or assumptions you may be making about your life experiences that are limiting you from living the life you want—personally or professionally. Career coaching helps individuals consciously connect with their core thoughts and emotions.1 Moreover, we often hear the word “coach” used interchangeably with mentor, consultant, and friend. For the purpose of this series, we are going to define mentor as a role model, perhaps someone that has already walked a similar path that you wish to walk. A mentor may also share personal experiences and tell you what they did to be successful. Consultants typically have an agenda, with possible answers, that they bring to the client or business. These individuals serve a purpose and can have a huge impact on your life. We use them ourselves with great benefit! LEADING LIKE A COACH Many of us have been a leader at some point in our lives. With traditional leadership (or command-and-control leadership) it can look like, and often feel like, “this is the way we are going, and you will follow.”2 This type of leadership is needed at times. The limitation with traditional leadership is that it reinforces to your team the assumption that you, as the leader, have all the answers. It does not leave much room for the team member to triage and create a solution themselves. Leading like a coach can help encourage your team’s development by asking them questions instead of always giving a solution. It allows you to support problem solving instead of making judgments. This can encourage your team to see the world and the workplace with a different perspective. It can give team members the freedom to embrace a new way of thinking and allow them to act with motivation to achieve a specific result.3 However, this can be difficult, especially for health care professionals like audiologists, as we are accustomed to identifying and diagnosing audiologic pro","PeriodicalId":39705,"journal":{"name":"Hearing Journal","volume":"98 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135428074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-28DOI: 10.1097/01.hj.0000991280.79328.30
Jerry LaMartina
The sale of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids has done little to disrupt the audiology profession, according to the overall results of a survey conducted by The Hearing Journal.www.shutterstock.com. Over-the-counter hearing aids, OTC hearing aids, audiology, self-fitting hearing aids, consumer, survey, original research.IN THEIR OWN WORDSThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its final rule1 in August 2022 authorizing the sale of OTC hearing aids, effective October 17, 2022. The Hearing Journal sought to gauge the final rule’s effects on the audiology profession by conducting a survey of its readers from May 18 through July 12 this year. The Journal sent the survey to 7,500 of its randomly chosen subscribers, and 321 subscribers, or 4%, responded. The survey’s overall results countered some practitioners’ expectations that OTCs would significantly and negatively affect the audiology profession. Regardless of OTCs, audiologists likely would benefit from analyzing their approaches to various aspects of their businesses, including prices of products, expenses for staff, potential assignment of non-billable services to an office assistant, and whether to unbundle their services. In its final rule, the FDA states that the rule “to establish OTC hearing aids and align other regulations generates potential cost savings for consumers with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment who wish to buy lower cost hearing aids not bundled with professional services and not requiring professional advice, fitting, adjustment, or maintenance but who are currently unable to buy such products online because of State regulations or because they do not shop online.” The final rule required hearing aid manufacturers to incur costs to change labels on existing hearing aids and amend their internal standard operating procedures. But the FDA says it wants the final rule to protect and advance public health regarding hearing health care. “In creating a regulatory category for OTC hearing aids and amending existing rules, we intend to provide reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness for these devices as well as foster access to, and innovation in, hearing aid technology, thereby protecting and promoting the public health,” the final rule states. The survey addressed four main areas: patient volume; pricing, products, and services; self-fitting; and changing business practices. Here are some highlights from the study results. PATIENT VOLUME Three-quarters of respondents said their volume of patients did not change when OTC hearing aids became available. Seven out of 10 respondents said the volume of new--patient appointments did not change. About two-fifths of respondents said that in the prior six months they had patients who needed help fitting OTC hearing aids they had purchased. This leaves room for audiologists to explore expanding their services to this category of consumers. PRICING, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES Overall, 72% of respondents saw no re
{"title":"Audiology’s Not-So-Scary Future With OTC Hearing Aids: Original research conducted by The Hearing Journal found that OTC hearing aids have been less impactful than originally feared.","authors":"Jerry LaMartina","doi":"10.1097/01.hj.0000991280.79328.30","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/01.hj.0000991280.79328.30","url":null,"abstract":"The sale of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids has done little to disrupt the audiology profession, according to the overall results of a survey conducted by The Hearing Journal.www.shutterstock.com. Over-the-counter hearing aids, OTC hearing aids, audiology, self-fitting hearing aids, consumer, survey, original research.IN THEIR OWN WORDSThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its final rule1 in August 2022 authorizing the sale of OTC hearing aids, effective October 17, 2022. The Hearing Journal sought to gauge the final rule’s effects on the audiology profession by conducting a survey of its readers from May 18 through July 12 this year. The Journal sent the survey to 7,500 of its randomly chosen subscribers, and 321 subscribers, or 4%, responded. The survey’s overall results countered some practitioners’ expectations that OTCs would significantly and negatively affect the audiology profession. Regardless of OTCs, audiologists likely would benefit from analyzing their approaches to various aspects of their businesses, including prices of products, expenses for staff, potential assignment of non-billable services to an office assistant, and whether to unbundle their services. In its final rule, the FDA states that the rule “to establish OTC hearing aids and align other regulations generates potential cost savings for consumers with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment who wish to buy lower cost hearing aids not bundled with professional services and not requiring professional advice, fitting, adjustment, or maintenance but who are currently unable to buy such products online because of State regulations or because they do not shop online.” The final rule required hearing aid manufacturers to incur costs to change labels on existing hearing aids and amend their internal standard operating procedures. But the FDA says it wants the final rule to protect and advance public health regarding hearing health care. “In creating a regulatory category for OTC hearing aids and amending existing rules, we intend to provide reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness for these devices as well as foster access to, and innovation in, hearing aid technology, thereby protecting and promoting the public health,” the final rule states. The survey addressed four main areas: patient volume; pricing, products, and services; self-fitting; and changing business practices. Here are some highlights from the study results. PATIENT VOLUME Three-quarters of respondents said their volume of patients did not change when OTC hearing aids became available. Seven out of 10 respondents said the volume of new--patient appointments did not change. About two-fifths of respondents said that in the prior six months they had patients who needed help fitting OTC hearing aids they had purchased. This leaves room for audiologists to explore expanding their services to this category of consumers. PRICING, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES Overall, 72% of respondents saw no re","PeriodicalId":39705,"journal":{"name":"Hearing Journal","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135428207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-28DOI: 10.1097/01.hj.0000991288.00474.2a
Mehdi Abouzari, Hamid R. Djalilian
Tinnitus refers to perceiving sound without any external source. It is a subjective phenomenon that can be described as ringing, buzzing, hissing, or other similar sounds. Clinically, tinnitus is commonly reported, but there is still a lack of standardized objective diagnostic tests, making patient self-reporting the primary method of assessment. A nationwide survey in the United States revealed that 50 million individuals aged 20 or older experienced tinnitus in the past year, with 16 million having daily occurrences.1 Tinnitus poses a significant socioeconomic burden, being the most common disability among veterans, with over 1.5 million veterans receiving disability benefits amounting to $1.3 billion annually.2www.shutterstock.com. Tinnitus, migraine, headache, treatment.Figure 1: Schematic diagram of the migraine mechanisms leading to tinnitus perception. Tinnitus, migraine, headache, treatment.Figure 2: Integrative neurosensory rehabilitation algorithm for treatment of tinnitus. Tinnitus, migraine, headache, treatment.Table 1: Summary of Dietary and Physiologic Migraine Triggers.Tinnitus is caused by damage to the hair cells in the cochlea or loss of synapses between hair cells and auditory nerves and the resulting loss of auditory input to the central nervous system.3 Specifically, in the most common types of hearing loss, damage to hair cells in the high-frequency region of the cochlea leads to detectable hearing loss and a rearrangement in the tonotopic organization of the auditory cortex.4,5 It has been thought that this reorganization causes cortical neurons to respond to frequencies from less affected cochlear cells, resulting in the perception of tinnitus due to their spontaneous firing.5 EPIDEMIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION BETWEEN TINNITUS AND MIGRAINE Research shows a higher prevalence of migraine in individuals with tinnitus and subjective hearing loss. In a study of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database, we have found that migraine rates were 36.6% and 24.5% among patients with tinnitus and subjective hearing loss, respectively.6 Multivariate logistic regression indicated that patients with tinnitus were more likely to have migraine, and migraine patients were more likely to have tinnitus and subjective hearing loss.6 Additionally, a cohort study in Taiwan revealed a significant association between a history of migraine headaches and cochlear symptoms like tinnitus, hearing loss, and sudden deafness.7 Further analysis of questionnaire data from tinnitus patients showed that 44.6% of subjects suffered from migraine headaches.8 These findings suggest a potential mechanistic link between migraine and altered attention to the dysregulation of the central auditory pathway in a subset of tinnitus patients. PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS RELATING TINNITUS TO MIGRAINE The pathophysiology of tinnitus involves the auditory pathway, which is modulated by the central nervous system. This connection implies a potential pa
{"title":"Tinnitus is Modulated by Migraine","authors":"Mehdi Abouzari, Hamid R. Djalilian","doi":"10.1097/01.hj.0000991288.00474.2a","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/01.hj.0000991288.00474.2a","url":null,"abstract":"Tinnitus refers to perceiving sound without any external source. It is a subjective phenomenon that can be described as ringing, buzzing, hissing, or other similar sounds. Clinically, tinnitus is commonly reported, but there is still a lack of standardized objective diagnostic tests, making patient self-reporting the primary method of assessment. A nationwide survey in the United States revealed that 50 million individuals aged 20 or older experienced tinnitus in the past year, with 16 million having daily occurrences.1 Tinnitus poses a significant socioeconomic burden, being the most common disability among veterans, with over 1.5 million veterans receiving disability benefits amounting to $1.3 billion annually.2www.shutterstock.com. Tinnitus, migraine, headache, treatment.Figure 1: Schematic diagram of the migraine mechanisms leading to tinnitus perception. Tinnitus, migraine, headache, treatment.Figure 2: Integrative neurosensory rehabilitation algorithm for treatment of tinnitus. Tinnitus, migraine, headache, treatment.Table 1: Summary of Dietary and Physiologic Migraine Triggers.Tinnitus is caused by damage to the hair cells in the cochlea or loss of synapses between hair cells and auditory nerves and the resulting loss of auditory input to the central nervous system.3 Specifically, in the most common types of hearing loss, damage to hair cells in the high-frequency region of the cochlea leads to detectable hearing loss and a rearrangement in the tonotopic organization of the auditory cortex.4,5 It has been thought that this reorganization causes cortical neurons to respond to frequencies from less affected cochlear cells, resulting in the perception of tinnitus due to their spontaneous firing.5 EPIDEMIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION BETWEEN TINNITUS AND MIGRAINE Research shows a higher prevalence of migraine in individuals with tinnitus and subjective hearing loss. In a study of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database, we have found that migraine rates were 36.6% and 24.5% among patients with tinnitus and subjective hearing loss, respectively.6 Multivariate logistic regression indicated that patients with tinnitus were more likely to have migraine, and migraine patients were more likely to have tinnitus and subjective hearing loss.6 Additionally, a cohort study in Taiwan revealed a significant association between a history of migraine headaches and cochlear symptoms like tinnitus, hearing loss, and sudden deafness.7 Further analysis of questionnaire data from tinnitus patients showed that 44.6% of subjects suffered from migraine headaches.8 These findings suggest a potential mechanistic link between migraine and altered attention to the dysregulation of the central auditory pathway in a subset of tinnitus patients. PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS RELATING TINNITUS TO MIGRAINE The pathophysiology of tinnitus involves the auditory pathway, which is modulated by the central nervous system. This connection implies a potential pa","PeriodicalId":39705,"journal":{"name":"Hearing Journal","volume":"46 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135428205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-28DOI: 10.1097/01.hj.0000991296.48082.84
Najva Mazhari, Karen Tawk, Mehdi Abouzari, Hamid R. Djalilian
The patient is a 72-year-old female with a history of left-sided ear drainage. Despite receiving ear drops, her symptoms did not improve. Notably, she has a history of right ear surgery in 1991 and left ear surgery in 2016. Her medical history reveals hearing loss, dizziness, migraine, anxiety, and depression. The microscopic examination of the ears revealed mucosalization in the posterior superior quadrant area of the right ear. On the left side, findings included bulging of the posterior lateral canal, which was soft when palpated with a curette (see Figure 1). However, no primary cholesteatoma was evident at the TM level. Her audiogram showed moderate-to-severe high-frequency hearing loss on the right and mild down-sloping to profound hearing loss on the left.Figure 1: Image of patient’s left tympanic membrane. Left-sided ear drainage, iatrogenic cholesteatoma, lateral canal flap, case study.Figure 2: Axial (horizontal) CT of the temporal bones showing the mass in the lateral left canal (right side of images). Left-sided ear drainage, iatrogenic cholesteatoma, lateral canal flap, case study.Figure 3: Coronal (parallel to the face) CT of the temporal bones showing the mass in the lateral left canal, which does not invade the mastoid. Left-sided ear drainage, iatrogenic cholesteatoma, lateral canal flap, case study.Figure 4: Sagittal (vertical parallel to the ear) CT of the temporal bones demonstrating the mass in the lateral left ear canal. Left-sided ear drainage, iatrogenic cholesteatoma, lateral canal flap, case study.Figure 5: On the left, axial (horizontal) CISS MRI shows hyperintensity (brighter than brain) in the ear canal. On the right, axial (horizontal) T1-weighted post-gadolinium MRI showing the mass in the ear canal is isointense (same color as brain). Left-sided ear drainage, iatrogenic cholesteatoma, lateral canal flap, case study.Figure 6: Coronal (parallel to the face) T2-weighted MRI showing hyperintensity (brighter than brain) mass in the left ear canal. Left-sided ear drainage, iatrogenic cholesteatoma, lateral canal flap, case study.Diagnosis: Iatrogenic Cholesteatoma Arising From the Lateral Canal Flap Najva Mazhari, MD; Karen Tawk, MD; Mehdi Abouzari, MD, PhD; and Hamid R. Djalilian, MD At first look, the mass in the ear canal appears to be a smooth-walled mass. While, in other parts of the body, this can be assumed to be a benign mass, we should always keep in mind that patients can have a subcutaneous carcinoma in the ear canal, which can cause a smooth appearance on the surface. This type of tumor originates in the ceruminous glands and is termed adenoid cystic carcinoma, or ceruminous cystadenocarcinoma. Therefore, a smooth-walled mass in the cartilaginous ear canal should be viewed with suspicion. In the bony canal, a smooth-walled mass is generally caused by exostosis. One way to help identify the character of the mass is to gently palpate the mass with a curette. A hard mass with a bony consistency is most likely an
{"title":"Symptom: Left-Sided Ear Drainage","authors":"Najva Mazhari, Karen Tawk, Mehdi Abouzari, Hamid R. Djalilian","doi":"10.1097/01.hj.0000991296.48082.84","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/01.hj.0000991296.48082.84","url":null,"abstract":"The patient is a 72-year-old female with a history of left-sided ear drainage. Despite receiving ear drops, her symptoms did not improve. Notably, she has a history of right ear surgery in 1991 and left ear surgery in 2016. Her medical history reveals hearing loss, dizziness, migraine, anxiety, and depression. The microscopic examination of the ears revealed mucosalization in the posterior superior quadrant area of the right ear. On the left side, findings included bulging of the posterior lateral canal, which was soft when palpated with a curette (see Figure 1). However, no primary cholesteatoma was evident at the TM level. Her audiogram showed moderate-to-severe high-frequency hearing loss on the right and mild down-sloping to profound hearing loss on the left.Figure 1: Image of patient’s left tympanic membrane. Left-sided ear drainage, iatrogenic cholesteatoma, lateral canal flap, case study.Figure 2: Axial (horizontal) CT of the temporal bones showing the mass in the lateral left canal (right side of images). Left-sided ear drainage, iatrogenic cholesteatoma, lateral canal flap, case study.Figure 3: Coronal (parallel to the face) CT of the temporal bones showing the mass in the lateral left canal, which does not invade the mastoid. Left-sided ear drainage, iatrogenic cholesteatoma, lateral canal flap, case study.Figure 4: Sagittal (vertical parallel to the ear) CT of the temporal bones demonstrating the mass in the lateral left ear canal. Left-sided ear drainage, iatrogenic cholesteatoma, lateral canal flap, case study.Figure 5: On the left, axial (horizontal) CISS MRI shows hyperintensity (brighter than brain) in the ear canal. On the right, axial (horizontal) T1-weighted post-gadolinium MRI showing the mass in the ear canal is isointense (same color as brain). Left-sided ear drainage, iatrogenic cholesteatoma, lateral canal flap, case study.Figure 6: Coronal (parallel to the face) T2-weighted MRI showing hyperintensity (brighter than brain) mass in the left ear canal. Left-sided ear drainage, iatrogenic cholesteatoma, lateral canal flap, case study.Diagnosis: Iatrogenic Cholesteatoma Arising From the Lateral Canal Flap Najva Mazhari, MD; Karen Tawk, MD; Mehdi Abouzari, MD, PhD; and Hamid R. Djalilian, MD At first look, the mass in the ear canal appears to be a smooth-walled mass. While, in other parts of the body, this can be assumed to be a benign mass, we should always keep in mind that patients can have a subcutaneous carcinoma in the ear canal, which can cause a smooth appearance on the surface. This type of tumor originates in the ceruminous glands and is termed adenoid cystic carcinoma, or ceruminous cystadenocarcinoma. Therefore, a smooth-walled mass in the cartilaginous ear canal should be viewed with suspicion. In the bony canal, a smooth-walled mass is generally caused by exostosis. One way to help identify the character of the mass is to gently palpate the mass with a curette. A hard mass with a bony consistency is most likely an","PeriodicalId":39705,"journal":{"name":"Hearing Journal","volume":"46 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135428065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-27DOI: 10.1097/01.hj.0000947728.38748.cd
Hyacinth Tagupa
Sixty-one percent of consumers now use the internet to find a health care provider, reveals a 2022 paper from health enterprise solutions company Kyruus. 1 And, according to a separate 2022 report by Reputation 2, 72% of surveyed Americans read online reviews and ratings when selecting a physician. As Americans grow increasingly reliant on online channels to find and choose their care provider, how can an audiology practice meet them there?www.shutterstock.com. Website, search engine optimization, testimonials, mobile-friendliness, blog, rankings.The Hearing Journal conversed with John Gorecki, owner and head strategist at Infocus Web Marketing, and Sozina Alamban, managing partner at PS Creatives Co., to highlight key recommendations in crafting an audiology practice website that helps generate new business. 1. USE POSITIVE, PATIENT-ORIENTED IMAGERY. “A successful audiologist website should not look too ‘clinical’ and ‘medical’ and dull and boring,” said Gorecki. “It should have lots of positive imagery.” He added that the visual content should speak to the goals and desires of potential patients, showing them “what life would be like after they get their hearing issues fixed.” Today’s business websites commonly use videos and still images throughout their pages, especially on their home page. According to Alamban, these visual elements serve multiple functions: they showcase the services and benefits the business could provide to potential patients, and they engage the attention of any average website visitor. Alamban, who has produced multimedia content for organizations such as the World Surgical Foundation, also recommended a vital feature specifically for audiology websites: transcripts and closed captioning or subtitles for visitors who have hearing problems. “As an audiologist, you need to make sure that all features in your website and digital marketing platforms are very accessible,” she said. 2. INCLUDE TESTIMONIALS AND BLOG POSTS. Recent surveys suggest that online customer feedback is now more than just an auxiliary feature—it is a crucial factor for consumers choosing their providers. Patient reviews, ratings, and testimonials are forms of social proof, which an audiology practice website should offer to visitors who might be shopping around for a care provider. “Patient testimonials are very important, whether written or on video,” said Alamban. “It helps your company build trust and shows your track record from the real, positive experiences of your existing clients. This will help attract new potential clients.” Gorecki agrees, adding that it’s vital for a clinician’s website to “overcome objections.” Potential patients, he explained, have fears or worries in their minds: “things like worrying if they are going to be overcharged for hearing aids, or is the process of getting a hear aid long and cumbersome, what happens if the hearing aids don’t work well after they have bought them, et cetera.” Positive testimonials are an exampl
{"title":"Reaching Patients Online: 5 Keys to Optimize Your Audiology Website for More Business","authors":"Hyacinth Tagupa","doi":"10.1097/01.hj.0000947728.38748.cd","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/01.hj.0000947728.38748.cd","url":null,"abstract":"Sixty-one percent of consumers now use the internet to find a health care provider, reveals a 2022 paper from health enterprise solutions company Kyruus. 1 And, according to a separate 2022 report by Reputation 2, 72% of surveyed Americans read online reviews and ratings when selecting a physician. As Americans grow increasingly reliant on online channels to find and choose their care provider, how can an audiology practice meet them there?www.shutterstock.com. Website, search engine optimization, testimonials, mobile-friendliness, blog, rankings.The Hearing Journal conversed with John Gorecki, owner and head strategist at Infocus Web Marketing, and Sozina Alamban, managing partner at PS Creatives Co., to highlight key recommendations in crafting an audiology practice website that helps generate new business. 1. USE POSITIVE, PATIENT-ORIENTED IMAGERY. “A successful audiologist website should not look too ‘clinical’ and ‘medical’ and dull and boring,” said Gorecki. “It should have lots of positive imagery.” He added that the visual content should speak to the goals and desires of potential patients, showing them “what life would be like after they get their hearing issues fixed.” Today’s business websites commonly use videos and still images throughout their pages, especially on their home page. According to Alamban, these visual elements serve multiple functions: they showcase the services and benefits the business could provide to potential patients, and they engage the attention of any average website visitor. Alamban, who has produced multimedia content for organizations such as the World Surgical Foundation, also recommended a vital feature specifically for audiology websites: transcripts and closed captioning or subtitles for visitors who have hearing problems. “As an audiologist, you need to make sure that all features in your website and digital marketing platforms are very accessible,” she said. 2. INCLUDE TESTIMONIALS AND BLOG POSTS. Recent surveys suggest that online customer feedback is now more than just an auxiliary feature—it is a crucial factor for consumers choosing their providers. Patient reviews, ratings, and testimonials are forms of social proof, which an audiology practice website should offer to visitors who might be shopping around for a care provider. “Patient testimonials are very important, whether written or on video,” said Alamban. “It helps your company build trust and shows your track record from the real, positive experiences of your existing clients. This will help attract new potential clients.” Gorecki agrees, adding that it’s vital for a clinician’s website to “overcome objections.” Potential patients, he explained, have fears or worries in their minds: “things like worrying if they are going to be overcharged for hearing aids, or is the process of getting a hear aid long and cumbersome, what happens if the hearing aids don’t work well after they have bought them, et cetera.” Positive testimonials are an exampl","PeriodicalId":39705,"journal":{"name":"Hearing Journal","volume":"47 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135756193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-27DOI: 10.1097/01.hj.0000947716.26725.8a
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Pub Date : 2023-07-27DOI: 10.1097/01.hj.0000947700.58044.59
Gordon Glantz
In 1981, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers released a song called “The Waiting” that contained the refrain “the waiting is the hardest part.”www.shutterstock.com. Waiting room, front desk.This is not news for anxious patients in office waiting rooms, where seconds can feel like minutes and minutes can feel like hours. This natural disdain for waiting rooms is sometimes a barrier to hearing health care. Michele Ahlman, the owner and CEO of ClearDigital Media, advises on the ideal waiting room for patients, many of whom are older and somewhat anxious to be there. Her company designs and develops waiting room video content. As a longtime partner to audiologists, Ahlman knows how crucial first impressions can be for patients potentially facing a diagnosis as stigmatizing as hearing loss. The stigma, said Ahlman, is more about the connection with other people than it is about aging. “We put stuff on our bodies all the time,” she said. “We all wear glasses now. It’s a fashion accessory.” But hearing is unique, she explained, because it involves the processing of the language. “If you can’t see something, you can’t see something; you need glasses in order to read or drive or whatever, but it’s an inanimate object,” she said. “It doesn’t change how you connect with somebody. You change how you connect with somebody based on how well you can understand them. You fail to understand people because you have hearing loss.” The stigma of one recognizing their own hearing loss, and then doing something about it, only adds to the stress level of a patient walking into an office where a negative experience may lead to not returning. “It’s not a ‘I can’t wait to get to the audiologist,’” continued Ahlman. “It’s more, ‘I have no other choice. I have to.’ It’s generally from pressure from family. Maybe it’s at a point where you can’t take it anymore. For the most part, unless it is a pediatric situation, people just put it off.” Once there, a patient is sitting in a waiting room that may not be improving the continuation of the journey. “A positive experience is if somebody walks into a welcoming, clean, fresh-smelling—and I can’t stress enough how smell matters—and well-laid-out waiting room,” said Ahlman. “It’s presenting that patient with professional content that says, ‘I care about you. We are going to educate you. We are here to prepare you. We know what we are doing. We are experts.’” Ahlman has a checklist of best business practices she shares with her clients, practicing audiologists, to help change that perception. THE WAITING ROOM MVP It begins with a good first impression, and that comes from those at the front desk who are tasked with meeting and greeting patients. “The front desk person is your most important hire, without a doubt,” said Ahlman. “Unfortunately, it’s not always seen that way, but a lot of people have figured that out. That person needs to have big smile on their face, a positive attitude and a welcoming personality. That person needs to r
1981年，Tom Petty和The Heartbreakers发行了一首名为“The Waiting”的歌曲，其中包含了副歌“The Waiting is The最难的部分”www.shutterstock.com。等候室，前台。这对办公室候诊室里焦虑的病人来说并不是什么新闻，在那里，一秒感觉就像一分钟，一分钟感觉就像一小时。这种天生对等候室的鄙视有时会成为听力保健的障碍。ClearDigital Media的老板兼首席执行官米歇尔·阿尔曼(Michele Ahlman)为患者提供了理想的等候室建议，他们中的许多人年纪较大，有些急于待在那里。她的公司设计和开发等候室视频内容。作为听力学家的长期合作伙伴，Ahlman知道对于可能面临听力损失等耻辱诊断的患者来说，第一印象是多么重要。阿尔曼说，这种耻辱感更多的是与他人的联系有关，而不是与年龄有关。“我们一直在身上涂东西，”她说。“我们现在都戴眼镜了。它是一种时尚配饰。”但她解释说，听力是独一无二的，因为它涉及到语言的处理。“如果你看不见某些东西，你就看不见某些东西;你需要戴眼镜才能阅读、开车或做其他事情，但它是一个无生命的物体。”“这不会改变你与他人的联系方式。你会根据你对别人的理解程度来改变你与他们交流的方式。你无法理解别人，因为你有听力损失。”一个人意识到自己的听力损失，然后采取行动，这种耻辱只会增加病人走进办公室的压力水平，在那里，负面的经历可能会导致他们不再回来。“这并不是‘我等不及要去看听力学家了’，”Ahlman继续说道。“更多的是，‘我别无选择。我必须这么做。“这通常是来自家庭的压力。也许到了你再也无法忍受的地步。在大多数情况下，除非是儿科情况，否则人们只是推迟。”一旦到了那里，病人就坐在候诊室里，这可能不会改善旅程的继续。“一个积极的体验是，如果有人走进一间热情、干净、气味清新的候诊室——我怎么强调气味的重要性都不为过——而且布置得很好，”阿尔曼说。“这是向患者提供专业的内容，告诉他们，‘我关心你。我们要教育你们。我们是来帮你准备的。我们知道我们在做什么。我们是专家。’”Ahlman有一份最佳商业实践清单，她与她的客户，执业听力学家分享，以帮助改变这种看法。候诊室最有价值的人首先要有一个良好的第一印象，而这一印象来自前台那些负责接待病人的人。“毫无疑问，前台人员是你最重要的招聘，”Ahlman说。“不幸的是，人们并不总是这么认为，但很多人已经明白了这一点。那个人需要脸上挂着灿烂的笑容，积极的态度和热情的个性。那个人需要意识到他们是第一个接触的人。他们需要尊重病人所处的位置。“这个演示非常关键。是你第一次走进来时那颗温暖的心。前台必须受过良好的训练，以了解人们作为人类的细微差别。典型的听力保健提供者是为老年人提供服务的。他们还将看到那些推迟了一段时间的听力护理的人，所以声音的处理可能是具有挑战性的。没有耐心，没有尊重，你会让病人陷入恶性循环。”简单而有效的Ahlman认为，候诊室应该通过教育病人，让他们参与进来，甚至在他们完全没有意识到的情况下，缓解紧张局势。这是如何做到的呢?它可以是简单的茶点(水瓶，咖啡)，清晰的标志和流媒体内容舒缓的背景音乐/画外音与屏幕上的封闭字幕。她补充说，内容可以包括推荐书、积极的经历、有趣的琐事和统计数据，以及你可以期待的事情，这可以缓解一些预期带来的压力。阿尔曼说:“这很有趣，但也让病人放心，他们并不孤单，一切都会好起来的。”“我们也会邀请一些名人和你认识的人，他们和你做着同样的事情。这一切都是为了建立一个积极的心态。“一个安静的候诊室真的很不舒服，”阿尔曼说。“我做过一些练习，就像，‘啊。“你连说话都不敢。这里安静得可怕。候诊室里的一些声音元素可以减轻压力。”成功的简单步骤有时候，只需听力学家站在病人的立场上，通过他们的眼睛来观察练习，然后再治疗病人的耳朵。 他说:“一旦有人去诊所，他们是被家人推着去的，那个家庭的某个人会和他们在一起。”“很多时候，是老年人的成年子女。你还需要有能够与家庭对话的内容。这意味着你的候诊室要考虑到这一点。你不希望它太拥挤。你想要有足够的座位，让家庭坐起来很舒服。它们是这个过程的一部分。这些家庭是旅程中至关重要的一部分。”在一天结束的时候，对病人来说最重要的是什么。Ahlman说:“仅仅因为你可能真的很擅长给某人配耳、读听音图和设计助听器，这并不是对你的病人唯一重要的事情。”“如何迎接和对待他们真的很重要。重要的是你如何对待你为病人使用的空间。这些都是可以让你休息的事情。有些医疗服务提供者并不重视这一点，他们会想，‘为什么我要这么挣扎?那么，退一步，从病人的角度评估你的空间，以及他们走进来时的感受。”Ahlman补充说，这取决于听力学家如何通过他人的眼睛看到他们的空间。这意味着你要像一个病人一样来实践。“走到你的前门，就像你是个病人一样，”她说。“看看是不是有垃圾堆在前门，也许是因为风把它吹到门上了。你的前门干净吗?工作时间清楚地张贴出来了吗?你的工时标签是否有日期和剥落?当你走进家门的时候，这个礼物是什么样子的?你感觉怎么样?温度热吗?很冷吗?它闻起来难闻吗，还是新鲜干净?你的墙干净吗?你检查过门了吗?人们注意到这些事情。认知与现实阿尔曼说，她最近在Facebook上看到一篇抱怨病人早来的帖子，以及一些尖刻的评论，比如“你早来并不意味着我迟到”，这让她很沮丧。这表明阿尔曼还有很多工作要做。她说:“我想，‘哇，’我的意思是，也许他们来早是因为他们很焦虑。也许他们来得早是因为他们要开很远的路。也许他们早到是因为他们的时间观念不同因为他们在变老。与其这样做，不如你建立一个系统，让他们参与进来，娱乐他们，让他们感觉良好。当他们说:“你为什么迟到?”’你可以说，‘我很高兴你来得这么早。我很高兴你能来。这就是办公室员工的重要性。这是前台的工作人员，他们可以导航。”她警告说，太多负面经历的最终结果。“这将是一次消极的经历，”她说。“这引发了一种心态，使患者远离他们的目的，并继续在他们的头脑中进行斗争。这样，心理战只会被放大。“这就是我们遇到麻烦的地方。因为这是一个有专业人士的行业，他们关心人们。每一个保持沉默的病人都可能会去某个地方买一种非处方药。这不会很好，然后他们会告诉他们认识的每个人这是一次糟糕的经历。这有什么用呢?它只会阻止其他人采取行动。”“在一个提供服务和帮助的行业，你应该与人们建立联系，”Ahlman说。“没有什么比能够从自己的知识中走出来更有价值的了，从我们一生中所拥有的过滤器中，通过你的病人可能的过滤器来更好地理解它。“一旦你有了这个，一旦你有耐心和清晰地从病人的角度看问题，这将使世界变得完全不同。这可能会改变一切。这会改变你照顾他们的方式。”
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Pub Date : 2023-07-27DOI: 10.1097/01.hj.0000947708.11149.28
Jeremy J. Donai, Leigh Smith
Autonomous audiological practice has been described as essential to the survival of the profession of audiology. One way to ensure the smooth transition of practice ownership from one generation to the next is through effective and holistic mentoring for audiology students during their educational programs. External clinical supervisors often play a vital role in this process. In this editorial, we’ll explore why audiology supervision and mentoring is so important, describe the qualities of an effective mentor, and provide advice for external supervisors to enhance the mentoring experience. The following is advice for practitioners interested in mentoring students beyond the Xs and Os of audiology, particularly those students with a keen interest in audiology business. 1. CREATING A SPACE THAT FOSTERS INDEPENDENCE AND BUILDS CONFIDENCE Creating an environment that fosters independence and builds confidence is essential when mentoring students. Students must feel comfortable in the learning space, which can be achieved by encouraging them to ask questions, collaborate with others, and engage in self-directed learning. It is important to recognize that each student has a unique learning style, and as a supervisor, it is essential to determine those differences to help ensure all students are receiving information in a way that works best for them. Have a conversation early in the experience about the best means to communicate important information and work out a plan for this exchange. 2. FREEDOM TO MAKE MISTAKES AND ASK QUESTIONS It is important to create an environment where students feel comfortable making mistakes and asking questions. Students should be encouraged to take risks and explore different approaches, even if their attempts may not be successful. By creating a space where students can ask questions and seek guidance, supervisors can identify mistakes early and provide corrective feedback to prevent them from becoming ingrained. Early hands-on experience, as opposed to simple observation, is crucial. By allowing students to take the lead in the beginning of their clinical rotations, supervisors can quickly identify strengths and weaknesses and provide proper guidance and correction where needed. As students progress in their skills, it’s essential to give them additional freedom and independence. This should evolve to allowing them to work with more autonomy in appointments. By gradually increasing their independence, students will develop the skills and confidence needed to become successful clinicians and business professionals. 3. SELL IS NOT A FOUR-LETTER WORD A substantial challenge in audiology is combating stereotypes and negative perceptions surrounding the sale of hearing aids. Unfortunately, some of these connotations formed early in a student’s academic training can discourage students and audiologists alike from focusing on this critical aspect of their practice. It is essential to recognize that hearing aids are often the
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Pub Date : 2023-07-27DOI: 10.1097/01.hj.0000947704.31216.d3
Sarah Sydlowski
Think about the last time you took a flight. Consider all the choices that went into making your decision about the flight you would take—the cost of checking a bag, the departure and arrival times, whether there was a connection and how long it was, the likelihood of getting your desired seat, and more. Frequent flyer programs, in-flight entertainment options, even the convenience of the terminal, may have influenced your decision. It’s likely that what is arguably the most valuable service an airline can provide—a safe arrival—didn’t even make your list. Why? At this stage in air travel’s history, we assume it is a given that the airline will deliver you at your destination with virtually no risk of devastating injury. As passengers, we don’t see the work of the air traffic controllers whose communication ensures we don’t collide mid-air with another plane. By the time we board the plane, the work of the engineers who ensured the plane was flight-worthy is a distant memory. We are so certain these steps will be taken, we don’t give it a second thought. Thus, when asked to list what we value most in selecting our flight, safety likely never comes to mind. DETERMINANT ATTRIBUTES One key principle of business is that “it has to be visible to be valuable.” Customers cannot value that which they cannot see or understand, and they do not value that which they assume to be equivalent. Determinant attributes are the factors that are considered by a consumer when deciding which products to use or what service to employ once they have decided that they need a particular product or service. For most consumers, the decision to purchase is determined by taking all available information, eliminating Factors Assumed to be Equal + Factors Not Well-Understood from consideration and using remaining information (determinant attributes) to differentiate between options. When no factors remain, the surrogate factor upon which a decision is made is usually brand recognition. In the case of the airline industry, travelers assume the experience of the pilot, the likelihood of arriving at the destination, and the probability of doing so safely is equivalent among carriers. They likely don’t understand the complexity of the flight plan, the superiority of connecting airports, or the quality of materials used to build the plane. What they do have visibility to is how good of an experience they have, how much they pay, and how efficiently they arrive, which is why these factors tend to top the list of what makes their decision instead of factors that are arguably more important to ensuring they land in one piece at their destination. In the current post-OTC hearing aid regulation environment, many articles and presentations have touted the importance of hearing health care providers, ensuring that patients are aware of the value of our services. But demonstrating our value is not as simple as telling consumers we’re valuable; it’s actually a tricky proposition because we
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