How does Telemedicine Work?
Have you been having trouble hearing the people in your life? Do you find that you have to ask people to repeat themselves or they ask you to turn down the television or radio even when the volume sounds to be at a reasonable level?
If this is happening to you, then there is a good chance you are dealing with hearing loss. While it seemed reasonable in the past to run out and get a hearing test, now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, going out is a bit more complicated. This is especially true if you have health complications that put you at a higher risk, limited mobility or live in a remote area.
Perhaps you’ve heard of telemedicine, which allows people to video chat with a healthcare provider from a remote location? The good news is that with new hearing aid technology, telemedicine is more accessible!
How does teleaudiology work?
An audiologist or hearing instrument specialist can identify, assess and manage issues with hearing, balance and other neural systems. While this is commonly done in an office many audiologists began offering teleaudiology during the pandemic to minimize in person contact.
Teleaudiology is a healthcare delivery model that gives people access to licensed audiologists from remote locations. This allows the patient to be at home or work. All they need is access to the Internet or data on their smartphone. The audiologist can access aspects of the patient’s hearing health through streaming the patient’s audio and video.
Teleaudiology post-COVID19
Perhaps you need to check in on the status of your hearing aids. Your audiologist can help walk you through the adjustments over the phone, where you can be sure you are safe. In other instances like a first time visit you may visit our office where proper social distancing practices are followed. The patient and the audiologist would wear a mask, there would be only one masked front-office person and the test would be administered while keeping at least six feet apart. Social distancing is rather easy for a hearing test, which does not require close proximity for the majority of the exam.
Programming hearing aids remotely
Even before the coronavirus, teleaudiology was becoming more and more common. This is because many people did not have an audiology provider in a reasonable driving distance or lacked mobility.
Now, telehealth is becoming increasingly popular and the technology has advanced much more quickly as the demand has risen. Many hearing aid brands are now able to easily interact via smartphone apps. This makes it easier for your audiologist or hearing care provider to remotely program a person’s hearing aids via the app, eliminating the need for this to be done in person.
All it takes is to download an app that can interact with your hearing aids wirelessly via Bluetooth. If you do not have hearing aids with this technology then you can still achieve adjustments without having to come into the office in many cases. We can help walk you through the steps on how to adjust your program, via video chat.
The future of teleaudiology
Teleaudiology is here for your convenience during these new and challenging times, however it is showing many audiologists and us across the world of the important benefits which telehealth can offer for the future. It is projected that telemedicine may actually bring down the prices of hearing aids as more insurance companies cover telehealth and teleaudiology in more states.
If you believe you are having an issue with your hearing but have mobility issues or simply want the convenience of care in your own home, reach out to us regarding our teleaudiology options! With hearing aids you can communicate clearly with people you love at home and stay connected over the phone. Reach out and set up a telemedicine appointment today!