Guest author: Brynn N. Morales, B.S.

The year 2020 has been unique for everybody and Designer Audiology is no exception.  As a small healthcare business, we have been focusing on the safety and health of our staff, patients, and community.  Social distancing and stay-at-home directives have turned our “daily” lives upside down.  Each Monday during the month of May- Better Speech and Hearing Month, Ms. Brynn Morales and Dr. Alicia Spoor (editor) will highlight some of the best at-home hearing screeners currently available. 

As the name implies, hearing screenings are a great tool to easily check your hearing acuity from the comfort of your own home.  There are a plethora of products available, so you want to make sure and use a reliable and validated tool.  In this post, we look at two hearing health screening questionnaires.  These questionnaires can help determine risk of disease and if/when a professional comprehensive audiologic (hearing) evaluation is suggested. 

The Consumer Ear Disease Risk Assessment (CEDRA) was developed with support from the Knowles Hearing Center and an NIH/NIDCD grant.  The 15-question tool will help you decide if you need to see a doctor prior to obtaining a hearing device. 

The Hearing Handicap Inventory (HHI) screening version is a reliable, quick 10-question emotional and social/situational self-assessment tool. The summary score easily identifies who should proceed with a professional evaluation. 

After taking one, or both questionnaires, if a hearing test is suggested, schedule online or call the office at (301) 854-1410.

Next Monday, we will recommend a few online pure-tone hearing screeners to determine if you or a loved one may have reduced hearing acuity.  Stay tuned!