20Q With Gus Mueller CEU Courses

This course reviews how speech-in-noise (SIN) testing can be routinely used in the clinical setting, both for identifying functional capabilities, and for the selection and fitting of hearing aids. Specific attention is given to the QuickSIN test, describing applications, clinical protocols and test interpretation. Step-by-step guidelines and case studies are provided.

Music and speech have some differences which include spectral shape, intensity, and “crest factors”. Most modern digital hearing aids cannot handle the more intense inputs that are characteristic of music. New hearing aid technologies and clinically efficient strategies will be provided to optimize hearing aids for music as well as for speech. These technologies and clinical strategies are designed to both circumvent some of the limitations with current hearing aids and to optimize the quality of amplified music.

This course details research describing how hearing loss can affect a person's social and emotional well-being and how audiology services can better meet the social and emotional needs of their client base. Dr. Bennett shares her research which explored the barriers preventing audiologists from incorporating social and emotional well-being support into routine care and the intervention program she and her team developed to help audiologists address these barriers. Course attendees will learn tips for prioritizing client needs and links to downloadable resources to help them embed social and emotional well-being support into their practice.

The course reviews new candidacy criteria for cochlear implantation, including when to consider referring for a cochlear implantation evaluation, considerations specific to new patient populations, and outcomes of cochlear implant use observed for these patient populations. The course also reviews the use of imaging to personalize the mapping of cochlear implant and electric-acoustic stimulation devices.

This article details the latest developments in the field of auditory biotechnologies that aim to medically treat hearing loss using a series of different approaches. The biotechnologies described in this interview include both restorative and protective treatments, and some of the molecular and cellular mechanisms behind these treatments are described along with the most likely patient populations for early clinical trials. Finally, the current state of offerings for auditory biotechnologies is also reviewed, and readers are pointed to appropriate information to connect their patients to upcoming clinical trials.

Audiologists perform and review audiograms for many types of employers. This requires a fundamental understanding of the differences between regulatory agencies and best practices in the context of hearing threshold shifts, age corrections and baseline revisions. This course will advance your knowledge in occupational audiology and link you to many resources.

In this course, the reader is presented with a macro-economic viewpoint of the profession of audiology for both the demand- and supply-sides. The viewpoint is supported by evidence-based research and provides business owners, providers, and industry personnel with insights into future growth, as well as areas where growth must be supported.

An article reviewing what an audiologist should know to provide effective tinnitus clinical services. The course is not comprehensive, but rather covers essential concepts and reviews methods of tinnitus clinical management that have the strongest evidence base in the scientific literature.

This 20Q article provides a discussion of data collected in the MarkeTrak surveys and how this impacts our patients adopting hearing aids.

This course addresses hearing aid technology levels. Specifically, the course explains what hearing aid technology levels are, summarizes current research regarding the evaluation of hearing aid technology levels, and provides clinical implications for the selection and verification of hearing aid technology levels for the practicing hearing health care provider.