Question
How does hearing protection help a hearing care professional support the patient’s hearing journey?
Answer
At Phonak, we believe that well-hearing is well-being, and that means that the patient’s journey to better hearing health begins even before a hearing loss is identified. At the beginning of April 2021, Phonak introduced a new hearing protection product line called Phonak Serenity Choice™, focusing on hearing loss prevention.
The Serenity Choice product line consists of a universal thermoplastic ear plug with a Phonak patented mesh and membrane filters. Designed to meet the ever-changing environments a patient may find themselves in, Serenity Choice was designed to provide situational awareness and speech audibility, while attenuating loud unwanted noise across the following situations/environments: Music, Hunting & Shooting, Motorsport, Work, Sleep and Comfort. Designed to be comfortable and durable, Serenity Choice offers a solution for every patient – with and without a hearing loss.
For those patients who may not have a measurable hearing loss – or even a mild hearing loss but may be sensitive to noisy environments or want to remain vigilant in protecting their hearing -- solutions like Serenity Choice provide an opportunity to incorporate hearing loss prevention into your everyday conversation. It also provides a solution that will be both comfortable and effective in keeping their hearing safe.
For those patients who have a hearing loss, hearing protection remains an important part of their hearing health journey as it is integral to protecting the remaining hearing they do have, while still participating in the activities they enjoy. This presents an opportunity to discuss the importance of hearing loss prevention. For loved ones, communication partners, friends and family, Serenity Choice also provides an affordable and effective solution to keep their hearing safe as well.
Often, patients come into our clinics unaware of the impacts everyday noises have on their hearing and the solutions available for them to keep their hearing healthy. Incorporating a discussion around hearing prevention with patients, with or without a hearing loss present, is a vital point of hearing healthcare and can be integrated into the patient journey in your clinic by way of intake questionnaires, lifestyle questionnaires and patient counseling. In addition to incorporating hearing protection into the patient experience, you may also consider starting a hearing conservation program exclusively in your office. This opportunity not only sets you apart as the expert in the entire hearing journey in your community, but also supports you in reaching out to other medical professionals in your area and sharing the services you have to offer. While this may sound daunting to get started, consider starting small by encouraging one of your clinicians and/or support staff to be a community advocate on the topic and for your clinic.
At Phonak, we believe it is important to partner with you, and your business, so you continue to grow and expand the services you offer. In fact, the hearing protection market is extremely large, with a growth rate that is projected to continue increasing in the coming years. Phonak will be introducing a custom version of Serenity Choice in June 2021, providing you even more selection and customization to provide your patients.
With the introduction of Phonak Serenity Choice and hearing loss prevention, Phonak continues to provide you a full range of hearing healthcare solutions to meet the needs of every patient who enters your clinic and in support of our belief that well-hearing is well-being.
For more information about Serenity Choice, click here.
