IHS Patient Counseling and Rehabilitation 2 ā Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient with bilateral hearing loss reports that their family frequently complains about the TV volume. Which counseling strategy best addresses this communication barrier?
- Advise the family to use written notes
- Recommend a TV listening device and discuss volume compromise strategies (Correct answer)
- Suggest the patient move closer to the TV
- Prescribe a second hearing aid only
Correct answer: Recommend a TV listening device and discuss volume compromise strategies
A TV listening device allows the patient to hear at their preferred volume while others listen at a normal level, directly resolving the conflict.
Question 2: During aural rehabilitation, which activity specifically targets a patient's ability to use context clues to fill in missed speech sounds?
- Auditory discrimination training
- Speech tracking exercises (Correct answer)
- Analytic listening drills
- Lipreading without audio
Correct answer: Speech tracking exercises
Speech tracking requires the patient to repeat connected discourse verbatim, forcing use of contextual and linguistic cues when sounds are missed.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of a hearing aid orientation (HAO) session?
- To select the best hearing aid model for the patient
- To ensure the patient can manage and benefit from their new hearing aids (Correct answer)
- To measure real-ear gain
- To conduct a follow-up audiogram
Correct answer: To ensure the patient can manage and benefit from their new hearing aids
HAO sessions teach device care, insertion/removal, battery management, and realistic expectations to maximize successful hearing aid use.
Question 4: A patient experiencing hearing aid feedback (whistling) when hugging family members should first be counseled to:
- Return the hearing aid immediately for replacement
- Cup their hand over the ear during hugs or remove the aid briefly (Correct answer)
- Increase the volume to override the feedback
- Switch to a completely-in-canal style
Correct answer: Cup their hand over the ear during hugs or remove the aid briefly
Feedback during close contact is normal; counseling the patient on simple behavioral strategies prevents unnecessary frustration.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes 'informational counseling' in the context of hearing rehabilitation?
- Exploring the patient's emotional reaction to hearing loss
- Providing factual education about audiograms, devices, and communication strategies (Correct answer)
- Teaching lipreading skills
- Facilitating a support group discussion
Correct answer: Providing factual education about audiograms, devices, and communication strategies
Informational counseling focuses on factsādegree of loss, device options, and practical strategiesāas opposed to personal adjustment counseling.
Question 6: A patient with moderate sensorineural hearing loss struggles in reverberant restaurant environments even with well-fitted hearing aids. The BEST supplemental recommendation is:
- Reprogram the hearing aid to maximum gain
- Use a remote microphone system worn by a dining companion (Correct answer)
- Avoid restaurants entirely
- Schedule additional audiometric testing
Correct answer: Use a remote microphone system worn by a dining companion
Remote microphone systems place the microphone near the talker, dramatically improving signal-to-noise ratio in noisy, reverberant spaces.
Question 7: When counseling a patient who refuses to wear their hearing aids due to stigma, the hearing care professional should FIRST:
- Document refusal and discontinue services
- Explore the patient's specific concerns and provide factual perspective on modern hearing aid design (Correct answer)
- Contact family members without the patient's consent
- Recommend cochlear implant evaluation
Correct answer: Explore the patient's specific concerns and provide factual perspective on modern hearing aid design
Addressing stigma requires understanding the patient's personal concerns before providing education about discreet modern devices and the social cost of untreated hearing loss.
IHS Patient Counseling and Rehabilitation 2
A patient with bilateral hearing loss reports that their family frequently complains about the TV volume.
Which counseling strategy best addresses this communication barrier?