IHS Troubleshooting Hearing Instruments 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient reports their BTE hearing aid produces a loud, continuous squeal only when their hand is placed near the ear. What is the most likely cause?
- Receiver failure
- Acoustic feedback due to a loose earmold fit (Correct answer)
- Dead battery
- Blocked microphone port
Correct answer: Acoustic feedback due to a loose earmold fit
A loose or improperly fitted earmold allows amplified sound to escape and re-enter the microphone, causing feedback squealing.
Question 2: A patient's ITE hearing aid produces intermittent sound that cuts in and out. After ruling out battery and wax blockage, what is the next most likely cause?
- Defective volume control or loose internal connection (Correct answer)
- Improper gain setting
- Incorrect frequency response
- Normal BILL processing
Correct answer: Defective volume control or loose internal connection
Intermittent sound after ruling out battery and wax typically indicates a faulty potentiometer, cracked solder joint, or loose internal connection.
Question 3: Which tool is used to verify that a hearing aid's output matches its prescribed target in a clinical troubleshooting session?
- Otoscope
- Audiometer
- Real-ear measurement (REM) system (Correct answer)
- Tympanometer
Correct answer: Real-ear measurement (REM) system
Real-ear measurement systems use a probe microphone to verify hearing aid output in the ear canal against prescriptive targets.
Question 4: A receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aid suddenly sounds very weak. The battery is new and the dome is clear of wax. What should be checked next?
- Refit the earmold
- Inspect and replace the wax guard on the receiver (Correct answer)
- Adjust the telecoil setting
- Reprogram the compression ratio
Correct answer: Inspect and replace the wax guard on the receiver
A clogged wax guard on the RIC receiver is a very common cause of sudden reduced output even when the battery is fresh and the dome appears clear.
Question 5: A patient complains that their hearing aid sounds 'tinny' or too sharp after a programming adjustment. Which parameter was most likely increased excessively?
- Low-frequency gain
- High-frequency gain (Correct answer)
- Attack time
- Output limiting level
Correct answer: High-frequency gain
Excessive high-frequency gain produces a tinny or harsh sound quality, as the treble components are over-amplified relative to the bass.
Question 6: During troubleshooting, you notice corrosion on the battery contacts of a hearing aid. What is the recommended corrective action?
- Replace the entire hearing aid
- Clean contacts with a dry cotton swab or special contact cleaner, then test (Correct answer)
- Apply a drop of oil to prevent further corrosion
- Increase battery voltage to compensate
Correct answer: Clean contacts with a dry cotton swab or special contact cleaner, then test
Corroded battery contacts should be cleaned with a dry swab or approved contact cleaner to restore proper electrical connection before replacing the device.
Question 7: A patient's hearing aid works normally on a listening stethoscope but the patient still reports no sound in their ear. What is the most likely problem?
- The hearing aid microphone is broken
- The earmold or dome tubing is blocked or disconnected (Correct answer)
- The volume control is set to zero
- The telecoil is active instead of the microphone
Correct answer: The earmold or dome tubing is blocked or disconnected
If the aid functions on a stethoscope, the aid itself is working, so the issue lies in the acoustic pathway to the ear—typically a blocked or disconnected earmold/tubing.
IHS Troubleshooting Hearing Instruments 2
A patient reports their BTE hearing aid produces a loud, continuous squeal only when their hand is placed near the ear.
What is the most likely cause?