Hearing Telehealth – remote audiological support

We were excited a few years ago when we first heard about various Telehealth projects coming out of Silicon Valley, California. The opportunity for clinicians to support patients with online consultations was an exciting opportunity to help people like never before.

In recent years, the remote diagnosis and troubleshooting of customer problems has become very popular. So it set us thinking; is this something that we could provide for our hearing aid patients and clients at our Practice? We have carried out numerous Skype consultations and sent counselling and support videos via email for some time now.

As a specialist hearing centre providing audiological guidance, we see many people who travel hours and sometimes days to attend their appointments at our centre in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. So it became the logical progression to offer some of our appointments remotely. Now we are able to do this.

The continuing investment in technology and software capability means that we can now offer a smartphone app which will allow clients to connect with us from anywhere in the world and request remote support. At our end, the application allows us to review a patient’s records and to send a small packet program back to them via the app which can then be uploaded into their hearing technology to improve their experience.

Hearing Telehealth and remote assistance will never replace the need for face to face consultations or the all important human touch which is a cornerstone of our approach. This innovation will however allow us to take another significant step forward in our quest to provide an immersive and holistic experience for our clients who require that extra level of professional expertise with added convenience.

Remote assistance is only supported by a handful of new hearing tech. If you’re new to the Practice or one of our long standing friends who live some way away, our audiologists Robert, Sanna and Jo will happily explain more when you visit us.