Quality Standards for Paediatric Audiology Services

Footnotes

1. This is to establish a benchmark and to gauge the service trends over time.

2. See Appendix 2.

3. For examples see Appendix 3

4. To enable the accurate testing of normal air and bone conduction hearing threshold levels down to 0 dB HL, ambient sound pressure levels should not exceed any of the levels shown in Tables 2 and 4 respectively from BSENISO 8253-1. However, it is reasonable to relax this requirement for BC testing so as to provide for testing down to 10 dB HL by adding 10 dB to the figures in Table 4.

5. Information about the IMP can be found in Appendix 4

6. This will include earmould selection, basic settings/acoustical characteristics of the prescribed hearing aidsand advanced features (such as directional microphones. Noise reduction algorithms, and multiple programmes).

7. Electroacoustic performance will be tested directly on a test box or by using REM. The acoustical consequences of any activated feature of the hearing aid(s) ( e.g. directional microphones) are also verified where standard procedures exist.

8. E.g. the BAA, BSA and Scottish National Guidelines

9. Explained whenever IMPs are completed and recorded in patient held records.

10. Outcome measures may include; aided speech testing in noise and/or quiet conditions, soundfield aided testing, standardised questionnaires of listening ability as perceived by child, teacher and parent, communication development, compliance of wearing the aids and behavioural observation. ( Appendix 5)

11. NDCS and NHSP provide a number of documents that can be used to support information regarding outcomes of assessments undertaken

12. The details of standards around transition from paediatric to adult services is outside the scope of this document. Consideration is being given to developing separate standards around this in the future.

13. For information describing Children's Hearing Services Working Groups see Appendix 6

14. An example of a Multi-Agency support Plan can be found in Appendix 7

15. "significant" hearing loss is not defined solely by the hearing level, but this must be considered alongside any other medical, developmental or social problems.

16. An example of a survey satisfaction questionnaire used by audiology services is listed in appendix 8

17. This is to establish a benchmark and to gauge the service trends over time.

18. An example of a survey satisfaction questionnaire used by audiology services is listed in appendix 6