DIRECT HEARING-AID REFERRALS - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY

General practitioners from a designated catchment area were invited to participate in a direct hearing aid referral project and were issued with a standard referral form outlining the criteria for referral. A t otal of 175 patients was referred with a fully completed referral form and were initially assessed by a senior audiology technician or highe r grade. A total of 135 patients (77%) was suitable for hearing aid fi tting and 40 (23%) were considered to be inappropriate referrals, of w hich 17 (9.7%) required further referral for an ENT opinion. For the p urpose of safety, each patient was independently examined by an ENT do ctor. The management decisions of the audiology technicians were in to tal agreement: with those of the ENT doctors. Our results also suggest ed that patients below the age of 60 are generally unsuitable for dire ct referral.