Patients in audiology are benefiting from being seen quicker thanks to group fitting sessions.
A pilot took place this month at Scunthorpe General Hospital and saw 59 patients fitted with hearing aids in a day. The pilot, which was inspired by a similar project at Newcastle Upon Tyne, gave patients the option to either wait to be seen for over 14 weeks to get fitted with their new hearing aids, or attend a group fitting appointment which had a much shorter waiting period.
Patients usually have their hearing examination and then attend an hour-long fitting session, where a member of the clinical team makes sure the aids are set to prescription, and then explains how to manage the aids at home and answers any questions they might have. These happen individually but for the pilot, the patients were first seen individually for 30 minutes where verification measures were done to ensure the aids were all set to prescription, and then the second half of the appointment, which focused on aid management, was conducted in a group setting.
Not only does this help cut our waiting lists but patients also benefit from being in a group setting, as others may ask questions they haven’t thought of and could learn from each other.
Joanne Sahdeo (pictured above), Team Lead at Scunthorpe, said: “We fitted a total of 59 patients during our pilot, which is nearly double what we would achieve via normal fitting methods. A project of this magnitude would not have been possible without the great teamwork and dedication of the amazing administration and clinical teams in the audiology department.
“So far, the feedback from patients has been really positive, and they were happy to be part of the pilot project which allows them to enjoy the gift of hearing within a shorter timeframe.”
Victoria Fussey (pictured above), Senior Audiologist, said: “During the fitting appointments, we explain to them how the hearing aid works and what functions it has. A lot of patients don’t realise you can do things like connecting your hearing aid to Bluetooth. We want to make sure they feel comfortable with using it when they leave the hospital.”
Missing from the photo is Rebecca Odlin and Natalie Hannath, Assistant Practitioners, June Kastenmuller, Senior Audiologist, Darryl Georgiou, Assistant Practitioner, Jiya Ouseph, Senior Audiologist, Aaron Sykes, Audiology Lead, and Michaela Gossop and Christine Salmon, Administration Assistants.
Aaron Sykes, Audiology Lead, said: “We have brought our waiting lists down significantly. The purpose of this pilot is to try and get patients seen quicker, by reducing our waiting times in audiology. We’re hoping this is something we can take forward and replicate.”