Question
What are some effective counseling tips to use during the patient journey process with a Ponto trial?
Answer
Oticon Medical has developed various support tools for counseling patients through the Ponto trial journey. When we think about counseling patients, there are more options than ever before for patients considering a bone conduction device. The benefits and limitations, however, in the different solutions for the individual patient should include the following questions:
- Does the solution provide enough amplification and output to meet their hearing loss and if their hearing loss should change?
- Is it comfortable enough to wear for a full day?
- Cosmetically, does the patient have any concerns?
- What are the benefits available beyond better hearing?
- How do they do at the end of the day after wearing the device all day long?
There is growing evidence to show that the importance of providing a solution that supports brain hearing, that supports less listening effort so that the patient doesn't have to work as hard to hear a sound is really important. As hearing care professionals, our job is to ensure that patients have all of the information in order to make an informed decision before any surgical intervention occurs.
To assist clinicians, Oticon Medical has created the Ponto Care app. Your patients can download this app during the trial process and then after they get the implants. There are those two sections. The trial section allows them to rate their experience as they're trialing the sound processor on a test band or a soft band. After they receive the device, there's a section for aftercare. This section discusses how to live with the device and how to clean the device. There's no login required, the information that is obtained within the app is only on the patient's phone, it's never sent on further so it actually adheres to the highest privacy standards. It's developed with all age groups in mind and it's free for everyone.
The Ponto Care app provides patients the guidance and engagement during the trial process and then it gives them the opportunity after they've had the implant to self-monitor their implant site, as well as their hearing. There's a diary in there and they can monitor the different sounds that they're hearing and what they think of those sounds, and it helps the professional by providing a better way for them to engage with their patients. The Ponto Care app can assist you with patient management and counseling so as patients come in for their post-trial visits, there is a structured approach because they have this information at hand.
This Ask the Expert is an excerpt from Counseling Patients through the Ponto Trial Journey: Benefits of Direct Sound Transmission. For more information, visit oticonmedical.com/us or visit Oticon Medical's Partner Page on AudiologyOnline.