Kokkonen Jukka, Svärd Fanni, Varonen Sini, Löppönen Heikki, Dietz Aarno
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, North Karelia Central Hospital, Wellbeing Services County of North Karelia, Joensuu, Finland.
Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Int J Audiol. 2025 Oct;64(10):1063-1072. doi: 10.1080/14992027.2025.2471000. Epub 2025 Mar 3.
To assess the feasibility of implementing a fast-track process (single-session assess-and-fit appointment with no ENT specialist's examination) in hearing rehabilitation by investigating the accuracy of the protocol assignment applying various cut-off criteria and describing the audiometric profile of patients being evaluated for their first hearing aids.
Retrospective chart review.
Patients from a single institution (n = 1807, median age 75 years, IQR 67-82 years) undergoing the evaluation for their first hearing aid fitting.
There were no audiometric signs warranting further diagnostic evaluation in 1259 subjects (69.7%). These subjects could be identified using a single criterion: the average threshold difference between the ears in the frequencies from 0.5 to 4 kHz less than 10 dB. Age was found to be a good predictor for the success of a single-session evaluation and fitting, with a cut-off value of 75 years. Altogether, 593 persons (32.8%) were candidates for a fast-track process. The time-saving from a single-session process was estimated to be 1.0%.
It is feasible to have a fast-track hearing aid fitting protocol. Patients can be preselected with excellent accuracy using a single audiometric criterion and an age limit of 75. Time savings for a single-session process are insignificant.
