Question

If a patient/client comes into your office and wants to get hearing instruments, but you find that he has vertigo and his hearing loss occurred in the past 90 days what would you do:

A. fit according to his loss
B. give a medical referral
C. ask the man to come back after the vertigo has gone away
D. have him sign a waiver and tell him not to worry about dizziness

Answer 1

When a patient presents with vertigo and recent onset of hearing loss, it is critical to provide a medical referral rather than fitting hearing instruments, as the symptoms may indicate an underlying condition like Ménière's disease.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a patient comes into your office wanting hearing instruments, but presents with vertigo and recent hearing loss, best practice dictates providing a medical referral. Considering that the onset of hearing loss occurred within the past 90 days and is accompanied by vertigo, there might be an underlying condition such as Ménière's disease, which can lead to sensorineural hearing loss. This disease involves fluid accumulation in the inner ear and can contribute to balance issues and hearing problems. A proper medical evaluation is necessary to diagnose the cause of these symptoms and determine the appropriate intervention, which may not be aided by hearing instruments alone. It is not advisable to fit the patient with hearing aids without further medical investigation, as doing so might overlook a potentially serious underlying health issue.