Hearing-aids: can they be safely prescribed without medical supervision? An analysis of patients referred for hearing-aids.

A prospective study of 169 patients with hearing loss as their main symptom, referred to the ENT Clinic by General Practitioners, is reported. The study aimed to assess the safety of prescribing hearing aids by Physiological Measurement Technicians from the Audiology Department without medical supervision. The General Practitioners' referral letter and patients' histories were analysed to see if all cases of middle ear disease would be picked up from this information alone. In this study, 31 patients had otoscopic evidence of chronic otitis media, active or inactive, only 14 (45.2%) of whom were identifiable from the referral letters. Of the 8 cases of active inflammatory ear disease, 3 were not mentioned in the referral letter. No asymptomatic cholesteatoma was found in the study population. At present all patients are reviewed by ENT medical staff prior to prescription of a hearing-aid; we feel this should continue.