Hearing aid verification: Practices and perceptions of South African audiologists.
Jared Moll, Zani Burger, Daneel M P Jacobs and 3 others
PMID 39692350WHAT IT FOUND
Most South African audiologists believe hearing aid verification improves outcomes, yet nearly a quarter rarely use it.
The main barriers are improper or missing equipment and insufficient training, not lack of time or confidence in the technique's value.
Key findings
01While 81.0% of audiologists reported performing hearing aid verification on all clients, only 47.4% indicated they always conduct it, with 23.0% seldom or never using it.
02Among those who seldom or never verify, nearly half (40.7%) cited improper equipment as the reason, and 11.1% cited no access to verification equipment.
03Qualitative themes identified cost of and access to verification equipment, insufficient skills, time constraints, interrupted electricity supply, and trust in manufacturer first-fit software as primary barriers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample size was small (78 participants), and only 66 completed all sections due to skip logic. The respondent distribution was skewed, likely attracting audiologists who already perform real-ear measurements, potentially underrepresenting those who do not. The study relied on self-reported practices and perceptions, which may differ from actual clinical behaviour. The sample was predominantly female (94.9%) and concentrated in private practice (69.2%) and Gauteng province (51.3%), limiting generalisability to other settings or regions.
Declared interests
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a hearing aid fitting is verified simply because an audiologist is practising. Nearly a quarter of surveyed audiologists seldom or never perform verification, often due to equipment issues, so clinical judgement and patient feedback may be the only basis for the fit.