For Physicians

We can work together to help more patients.

Identifying Patients Who Need a Hearing Evaluation

A hearing evaluation can tell us the status of a patient’s peripheral auditory system, including the status of the middle ear. Patients complaining of any of the following are appropriate candidates to refer to us for a hearing evaluation:

Hearing loss (communication issues)
Dizziness
Tinnitus
Aural fullness
Otalgia (ear pain)/drainage

Also patients:

With a family history of hearing loss and/or diabetes
Who have been exposed to loud noise
Undergoing chemotherapy

Hearing evaluations help to diagnose:

Multiple sclerosis
Acoustic neuroma/vestibular schwannoma
Ménière’s syndrome
Serous otitis media
Chronic otitis media
Otosclerosis
Eustachian tube dysfunction
Perilymphatic fistula
Sensorineural hearing loss
Conductive hearing loss
Unilateral hearing loss

Questions to Ask Your Patients

If a patient answers yes to any of the following, please issue a referral so we can evaluate them and try to improve their quality of life:

Does a hearing problem cause you to be embarrassed when meeting new people?
Does a hearing problem cause you to feel frustrated when talking to members of your family, or cause them to become frustrated?
Do you have difficulty hearing when someone speaks in a whisper?
Does a hearing problem cause you difficulty when visiting friends, relatives, or neighbors?
Does a hearing problem cause you difficulty at the movies, the theater, or religious services?
Does a hearing problem cause you to have difficulty when listening to the TV or the radio?
Does a hearing problem cause you difficulty when at a restaurant with family and friends?
Do you feel handicapped, isolated, or depressed because of a hearing problem?
Do you feel you are missing out on things because of a hearing problem?