Cubex pushing forward the limits - An interview, by Dr Douglas L Beck for the Hearing Review.
In a recent article written by Dr Douglas L. Beck Au.D.for the leading publication in hearing healthcare and audiology, The Hearing Review, we discussed our unique approach to hearing healthcare and how this enables Cubex to remain competitive, even in the UK market where free NHS services are available.Dr Beck describes the interview as revealing and perhaps instructive as to how a private audiology practice in the USA might serve the needs of their patients in an increasingly competitive market.[vision_divider style="hr-solid"]Dr Beck comments:
It seems to me that Hearing Care Professionals (HCPs) have, and with good reason, become focused on hearing and hearing loss as an entity. That is, some HCPs may look at a hearing loss on an audiogram as the primary problem to be solved. Your approach seems to be more about the whole person and exploring the problems the individual is experiencing, rather than providing amplification to “mirror” the audiogram.
Adam Shulberg, Cubex MD & Senior Audiologist, explained that after medical or surgical problems have been ruled out, the audiogram loses its place as the most important issue when a patient comes to us. Instead, the person's speech-in-noise (SIN) ability and working memory becomes the more significant issue and the measuring of this pre and post personalisation of a hearing device.Dr Beck responds with:
“But you go further and deeper than the SIN ability, and it appears your solutions are excellent and meaningful—and it takes the clinical practice of audiology and hearing aid dispensing to the next level.”
What does a Cubex consultation & discovery session look like?We went on to explain what the first 2-hour Consultation & Discovery session looks like at Cubex. The Cubex patient relations team prepares for the patient’s arrival in advance, having had regular contact with the patient and family members already, and makes sure when that when they arrive, they feel at ease, relaxed and prepared for a highly personalised experience.The first 45 minutes are spent exploring the whole person, their situation, and developing an understanding of their psycho-social-emotional characteristics. This process is supported by a variety of tools which promote patient interaction, reflection and self-awareness. To continue with the building of this whole-person picture, we also involve key communication partners and utilise cognitive health assessment tools, mood scales and the perceived stress scale to name a few. We present this as a constructive, positive, interactive exercise and consider and discuss the individual's experiences, motivations, expectations, goals, and more. Once we have a really good understanding of the psycho-social-emotional state, we then complete audiological testing.
Admittedly, it surprises some patients when they realise the depths we go to. But quickly they realise that hearing loss is not just about their ears, it’s about their work, their social and recreational life, their relationships, their cognition, their mental health, and more.
A multi-disciplinary approachWe have a consulting psychologist on our staff, and we use a multi-disciplinary approach to consider the whole person, not just their hearing ability. Some other aspects that we consider are working memory, spatial working memory and executive function – all useful to understand speech-in-noise.Beck comments:
“It’s refreshing to see Cubex pushing forward the limits and expectations of the HCP to facilitate and provide a better quality of life for the patient.”
[contact link="http://www.hearingreview.com/2019/04/patient-centered-hearing-balance-tinnitus-care-interview-adam-jerusha-shulberg/" text="Read the full article in the Hearing Review"][vision_divider style="hr-solid"]Dr Douglas L. Beck Au.D. is an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Communication Disorders and Sciences at the State University of New York, Buffalo, and Executive director of Academic Sciences at Oticon Inc. Dr. Beck is among the most prolific authors in audiology with 175 published articles and more than 1250 abstracts, interviews, and op-eds written for the AAA (2008-2015) and Audiology Online (1999-2005) addressing a wide variety of audiology and professional topics including; audiology, the profession of audiology, pediatric audiology, cognition, hearing aids, audition, counselling and more.Read more on Dr BeckThe Hearing Review has been a leading publication in the hearing healthcare and audiology field since January 1994. Since then, it has become the go-to source for online news, clinical articles, product information, and resources for audiologists, hearing instrument specialists, ENTs, hearing aid acousticians, and others involved in hearing healthcare worldwide. The Hearing Review's media offerings include The Hearing Review and Hearing Review International magazines, hearingreview.com website, The Insider e-newsletter, as well as an array of online blogs, podcasts, webinars, and video offerings.Learn more about The Hearing Review