IHS Instrument Selection 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which hearing aid style is typically recommended for patients with severe-to-profound hearing loss who require maximum power output?
- Completely-in-canal (CIC)
- Behind-the-ear (BTE) with custom earmold (Correct answer)
- Receiver-in-canal (RIC) with open dome
- In-the-canal (ITC)
Correct answer: Behind-the-ear (BTE) with custom earmold
BTE instruments with custom earmolds provide the highest power output and are best suited for severe-to-profound hearing losses.
Question 2: A patient with severe arthritis reports difficulty manipulating small controls. Which hearing aid feature MOST addresses this limitation?
- Smaller battery door for cosmetic discreteness
- Automatic volume and program adjustment without manual controls (Correct answer)
- Multiple manual push-button programs
- Size 10 zinc-air battery
Correct answer: Automatic volume and program adjustment without manual controls
Automatic adjustment eliminates fine motor manipulation, making the instrument manageable for patients with reduced dexterity.
Question 3: Which hearing aid coupling style BEST preserves the natural pinna effect and localization cues?
- Full-shell in-the-ear (ITE)
- BTE with a standard occluding earmold
- Open-fit receiver-in-canal (RIC) (Correct answer)
- Body-worn hearing aid
Correct answer: Open-fit receiver-in-canal (RIC)
Open-fit RIC instruments leave the ear canal largely unoccluded, allowing the pinna to collect sound naturally and preserve directional cues.
Question 4: A completely-in-canal (CIC) hearing aid is CONTRAINDICATED for which patient?
- Patient with mild high-frequency hearing loss
- Patient with active chronic ear drainage (Correct answer)
- Patient who prefers a cosmetically discreet device
- Patient with normal low-frequency thresholds
Correct answer: Patient with active chronic ear drainage
Active ear drainage is a contraindication for deep-canal instruments because moisture damages electronics and the drainage may indicate a condition requiring medical treatment.
Question 5: What is the PRIMARY acoustic advantage of a receiver-in-canal (RIC) instrument over a traditional BTE with earmold?
- Lower manufacturing cost
- Reduced feedback risk due to greater distance between microphone and receiver (Correct answer)
- Higher maximum power output
- Longer battery life
Correct answer: Reduced feedback risk due to greater distance between microphone and receiver
In RIC instruments, the microphone sits behind the ear while the receiver is in the canal, creating greater physical separation that reduces acoustic feedback.
Question 6: Which patient characteristic MOST strongly indicates the need for a custom earmold over a standard dome with a RIC instrument?
- Preference for Bluetooth streaming
- Severe hearing loss requiring high gain (Correct answer)
- Active lifestyle including jogging
- Prior hearing aid experience
Correct answer: Severe hearing loss requiring high gain
Severe hearing loss requiring high gain makes a sealed custom earmold necessary to prevent feedback and ensure adequate low-frequency amplification.
Question 7: A patient with bilateral symmetrical mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss requests a monaural fitting to save cost. What should the specialist advise?
- Monaural fitting is equally effective for symmetrical losses
- Binaural fitting is strongly recommended for superior localization and speech understanding in noise (Correct answer)
- Only the ear with the better word recognition score should be fitted
- Cost is the sole factor when choosing between monaural and binaural fitting
Correct answer: Binaural fitting is strongly recommended for superior localization and speech understanding in noise
Binaural fitting provides significantly better sound localization, speech understanding in noise, and overall benefit compared to monaural fitting for symmetrical losses.
IHS Instrument Selection 2
Which hearing aid style is typically recommended for patients with severe-to-profound hearing loss who require maximum power output?