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IHS Position Statement on the Practice of Hearing Aid Dispensing 

 
 
The International Hearing Society maintains that the following services are considered within the scope of practice of hearing aid specialists and comprise the practice of hearing aid dispensing, in a manner consistent with federal, state or provincial law: 
  • eliciting patient case histories; 
  • performing comprehensive hearing evaluations, including administering otoscopy and performing tympanometry; 
  • administering and interpreting tests of human hearing; 
  • referring as appropriate for cochlear implant evaluation or other clinical, rehabilitative, or medical interventions; 
  • determining candidacy for hearing aids, tinnitus management devices, and other assistive listening devices; 
  • providing hearing aid, tinnitus management device, and assistive device recommendation and selection; 
  • performing hearing aid fittings, programming, and adjustments; 
  • assessing hearing aid efficacy utilizing appropriate fitting verification methodology; 
  • performing hearing aid repairs; 
  • administering cerumen management in the course of examining ears, taking ear impressions and/or fitting of hearing aids;
  • taking ear impressions and preparing, designing, and modifying ear molds; 
  • providing counseling and aural rehabilitation services; 
  • providing supervision and in-service training of those entering the dispensing profession;   
  • providing hearing health education; 
  • providing community services, such as in hearing conservation programs, school testing programs, and/or working with organizations serving individuals with hearing loss, and the deaf; and 
  • providing assistive technologies for public and private individuals, classrooms, and vocational needs.   

Hearing aid specialists work with physicians, including otolaryngologists and geriatricians, and allied professionals, such as audiologists, occupational therapists, public health nurses, and others, on the community healthcare team. 
 
Approved by the Board of Governors on April 26, 2013. 


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