Pediatric Amplification: A Proposed Protocol for In-Person Hearing Aid Fittings and Virtual Follow-Ups.

Abstract

Children with hearing loss and their families face many financial and logistical barriers to accessing audiological care. At Rush University's Student Community Outreach Program of Excellence (SCOPE), a pediatric hearing loss outreach program is under development to address and overcome those barriers through in-person hearing aid fittings and virtual follow-up appointments. The goal of this clinical focus article was to develop a proposed protocol for SCOPE's pediatric hearing loss outreach program that would detail the use of a bimodal model of service delivery for pediatric amplification services. This clinical focus article provides a general description of the proposed protocol. The proposed protocol was developed as a guideline for future service delivery within SCOPE's pediatric hearing loss outreach program. Categories and details within the protocol were derived from previously published protocols and clinically relevant research. The final protocol is composed of six sections, which detail the rationale and target population, necessary equipment, procedures for in-person hearing aid fittings, procedures for virtual follow-ups, outcome measures, and schedule of appointments. On the national level, access to audiological care for pediatric patients and their families is restricted by both financial and logistical barriers. A telehealth model of service delivery has been shown to be effective in providing high-quality patient care while addressing these barriers. A clinical program using a bimodal model of service delivery will be implemented to address these barriers in Chicago, Illinois. Future investigation is required to monitor the efficacy of the program and develop program-specific materials.