Essentials of Modern Hearing Aids: Selection, Fitting, and Verification is a new, comprehensive textbook by Todd Ricketts, PhD, Ruth Bentler, PhD, and Gus Mueller, PhD, that could be utilized for graduate-level amplification courses in audiology programs. (See a discussion about some of the topics found in the book in the April 2018 Hearing Review interview with Dr Ricketts.)
According to Plural, the book is “the ultimate go-to reference” for anyone fitting and dispensing hearing aids. Designed as an “A-to- Z” textbook, topics include audiologic prefitting testing, needs assessment and treatment planning, hearing aid selection, verification, orientation and counseling, post-fitting follow-up, and real-world validation. Moreover, a substantial portion of the book reviews the underlying up-to-date design and function of digital hearing aid components, circuitry and processing, the wide assortment of hearing aid features, and the many algorithms that make these features work successfully.
The authors have included numerous prefitting and post-fitting tests that can be conducted along with step-by-step protocols for their administration and scoring. They also review the selection of hearing aid styles and fitting arrangements, explain the process of obtaining an ear impression, and making critical decisions regarding earmolds and hearing aid plumbing. Essentials of Modern Hearing Aids provides guidance for selecting prescriptive fitting approaches and detailed protocols for the use of behavioral measures and real-ear speech mapping to both verify the fitting and assess special hearing aid features. Follow-up care and validation options also are reviewed, with detailed guidelines for using a wide range of outcome measures.
Written in an accessible and easy-to-read style, according to Plural’s description, this text includes not only reference information, but also tools supported by research and clinical experience. The information is presented in a way to be both accessible to clinical students with little experience in the field and with enough depth for even the serious hearing aid researcher. The text is also appropriate as a handy companion for busy clinicians—a friendly resource where they can quickly find critical information needed for the next patient.
Hearing Review’s “Inside the Research” columnist Doug Beck interviewed Gus Mueller in the August 2017 edition of HR, to discuss Mueller’s 2017 book published by Plural, Speech Mapping and Probe Microphone Measurements, also co-written with Todd Ricketts and Ruth Bentler, as well as the benefits of probe mic verification and real-ear assessment. Beck also interviewed Ricketts in the April edition of HR, to discuss Essentials of Modern Hearing Aids, as well as the relationship between hearing impairment and cognition; word recognition score (WRS), and real-ear-to-coupler-difference (RECD) measures.
Book Details
Title: Essentials of Modern Hearing Aids | Author: Todd A. Ricketts, Ruth Bentler, and H. Gustav Mueller | Published: 01/17/2018 | ISBN: 978-1-59756-853-1 | http://pluralpublishing.com/publication_emha.htm
About the Authors
Todd A. Ricketts, PhD, CCC-A, is a professor at Vanderbilt Medical Center, the vice chair in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, and the director of the Dan Maddox Hearing Aid Research Laboratory. He is a fellow of the American Speech and Hearing Association and the American Academy of Audiology. Dr Ricketts’ research focuses on various aspects of hearing, hearing aids, and cochlear implants, and he has published more than 100 articles and book chapters on the topics.
Ruth Bentler, PhD, CCC-A, is a professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorder at the University of Iowa. A native Iowan, Dr Bentler did not stray far from her roots, as her 40-year professional career has been at the University of Iowa, where she also obtained her professional degrees. She is a fellow of the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) and the American Academy of Audiology (AAA). As the director of the Hearing Aid Laboratory for Basic and Applied Research, Dr Bentler has been involved in numerous research endeavors involving the effectiveness of modern hearing aid features. She teaches graduate courses related to hearing aids and adult auditory rehabilitation, and has published more than 100 articles and book chapters on the topic.
H. Gustav Mueller, PhD, is a professor of audiology at Vanderbilt University and has faculty appointments at the University of Northern Colorado and Rush University. He also serves as the senior contributing editor for AudiologyOnline and as a consulting editor for Plural Publishing. He is a founder of the AAA and a fellow of the ASHA, and has co-authored numerous books, including the recent Plural Publications: Fitting and Dispensing Hearing Aids, Speech Mapping and Probe Microphone Measurements, and Modern Hearing Aids (Volumes I and II).
Source: Plural Publishing
Image: Plural Publishing