For example, to use Signia’s remote care solution, the patient would need to have Xperience or Nx hearing aids, and an iPhone or iPad with iOS version 9.3 or higher, or an Android device running 5.0 or higher. To determine whether a patient is a candidate for receiving remote adjustments, you’ll need to consult the manufacturer’s published requirements (or my table at the end of this article) to ensure that the patient has an appropriate smartphone (or tablet) and compatible hearing aids. While any patient with a smartphone and internet connection may receive face-to-face counselling via Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, etc, patients that wish to receive a remote hearing aid adjustment will need to have the right hearing aids and a compatible Android or iOS device. However, prolonged social distancing has led to increased adoption of teleaudiology services, and many audiologists are only now starting to identify which of their existing patients may be targets for remote care.

Identifying remote care clientsīefore COVID-19, most audiologists did not offer teleaudiology services, either because they were not “equipped” to provide remote services, or because they felt such services were not “applicable or effective” for their client base. I recently reviewed the teleaudiology platforms offered by Signia, Phonak, Widex, Starkey, ReSound, and Oticon, and compiled a Remote Care Brand Comparison to catalogue my findings, which I have summarised here.

Modern teleaudiology platforms, now offered by all major hearing aid brands, offer audiologists a convenient way to maintain service continuity at a time when in-office follow-ups are no longer possible, or desirable, for many. With much of the world in full or partial lockdown and social-distancing measures in full swing, the COVID-19 crisis has sparked renewed interest in remote teleaudiology services.

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