Siemens Hearing Instruments UK has strengthened its position as a one-stop-shop for audiology workflow solutions with the introduction of audiometers and digital video otoscopes innovations into its product portfolio. The new offerings provide a greater range of choice from one specialist point of contact. This has the potential to simplify procurement and choice in the marketplace, plus offer greater time and cost savings to healthcare organisations.
New innovations now available from Siemens include: Otopod and Amplitude Audiometers, incredibly small, portable and wireless audiometers suitable for audiometry in the fitting room, patient's home or bedside;the Kamplex PA5 Paediatric Audiometer, a free field audiometer for testing children's hearing with one handed operation;and a high resolution USB Digital Video Otoscope which links directly to the PC for ease of use. A wider range of audiological accessories are also now available.
The new solutions join Siemens' existing range of audiology workflow innovations that cross the entire health continuum - from Practice Navigator 2 that manages appointment booking and waiting lists, to UNITY 2 and AutoFit testing and instrument fitting solutions, and the Hearcheck Screener that gives rapid and accurate hearing screening in one minute.Mark Laben, Product and Marketing Manager at Siemens Hearing Instruments states, "Our single approach to providing a wide range of audiology workflow solutions give audiologists more choice and specialist advice. Healthcare departments and practices are facing increased pressures to invest wisely and redesign audiology workflow processes. By having modern solutions and workflow that integrates together, audiologists will have more time to spend with the patient on quality matters such as talking through fittings and answering concerns. This results in more relaxed patients that understand more about their hearing health."
The Hearing Services Department at Leicester Royal Infirmary has found that use of the HearCheck Screener in primary care has helped improve the experience for patients and increase productivity at sustainable levels. Pauline Smith, Clinical Scientist (Audiology) at Leicester Royal Infirmary comments, "Using the HearCheck Screener in primary care has allowed us to triage patients suitable to be assessed and fitted in one appointment, saving valuable clinic time and visits to the hospital. Given that we saw 2600 directly referred patients last year, the 30 minute saving on a quarter of referrals will result in hundreds of hours of clinical time being released. The challenge of keeping waiting lists down while remaining economically viable and without losing quality of service is vital. We have demonstrated in the Leicester service that triage can work and has shown the benefits in terms of QIPP."
About Siemens Hearing Instruments
Siemens Hearing Instruments Ltd (Crawley, West Sussex) provides a comprehensive range of digital hearing instruments and software, patient management systems and audiology equipment to the National Health Service, independent retail dispensers and national chains in the UK. It is the UK operation of Siemens Audiologische Technik (S.A.T.), based in Erlangen, Germany. Part of the Siemens Medical Group, S.A.T. has been at the forefront of audiological innovation for over 125 years and is the world's market leader in the design and manufacture of audiological products. For more information visit www.siemens.co.uk/hearing or the Siemens web channel on AudiologyOnline.
