St. Louis is home to many hospitals, from the Children’s Hospital and St. Luke’s to Mercy and Barnes-Jewish. If you’re among the many amazing healthcare workers in one of our city’s hospitals, you know how important effective communication is to doing your job well.
For the approximately 15% of U.S. adults with hearing loss, hearing aids are an essential part of effective communication.
How Can Hearing Aids Help Me at Work?
You rely on your ears to communicate with patients, hear codes and stay aware of your surroundings. Untreated hearing loss can dull or erase these sounds, potentially leading to accidents or poor patient interactions.
Hearing aids amplify these sounds for healthcare workers with mild to severe hearing loss, helping them stay connected to their environment. Healthcare workers with severe to profound hearing loss may also require a sign language interpreter or other accommodations in the workplace.
How Do I Choose the Right Hearing Aids?
There are two major factors to consider when choosing your hearing aids:
- The style. Workers with only mild to moderate hearing loss may receive enough benefit from smaller in-the-ear or in-the-canal devices. However, patients with moderate to severe hearing loss will benefit most from larger behind-the-ear and receiver-in-the-canal options because they have stronger amplification settings.
- The battery life. Your hearing aid batteries need to last the length of your shift. If you frequently work double shifts, rechargeable batteries may not be the best because you might need to charge your hearing aids before your shift ends. In those cases, disposable batteries that last upwards of three weeks, depending on the duration of use, may be your best bet.
Other features like tinnitus management, noise reduction and directional microphones are also important considerations.
During your hearing aid consultation, your specialist will discuss your lifestyle, including your work schedule, activity level and appearance preferences. They’ll walk you through the available features to make your important work as easy as possible.
For more information about hearing aids or to schedule a consultation with one of our specialists, contact Center for Hearing & Speech today.
