Strategies for Increasing Medical Community Awareness of Audiology: A Call to Action!

By David Fabry and Don Nielsen

This article is a part of the March/April 2019, Volume 31, Number 2, Audiology Today issue.

With increased competition in the marketplace and changes in regulations allowing for over-the-counter (OTC) direct hearing aid sales to consumers, audiologists are becoming more dependent on hearing aid revenue as their main source of income. Thus, we quickly are realizing the urgency and need for increasing public and medical awareness of audiology.

Typically, audiologists receive little to no training in how to market their profession and differentiate themselves from the competition. Many audiologists expect their professional organizations to assume this responsibility and badger professional organizations to increase awareness of the profession. Professional organizations respond with pubic relations (media) and public awareness (consumers/public) toolkits, campaigns, and materials. Their well-intentioned efforts are an appreciated necessity, but not a sufficient cure for lack of awareness of audiology. What is missing is a dedicated and persistent effort by the individual audiologists acting locally to raise awareness.

We argue that it is the professional responsibility of individual audiologists to raise awareness of audiology and the importance of hearing health. Don't know how to do that? This article can help give you ideas and plans to start meeting this professional obligation.

Our contention is—increasing public awareness for audiology first requires increased awareness of the importance of hearing health. Increasing the awareness of hearing health requires the understanding and support of the medical community. Audiologists educating the local medical community is crucial to success. Enlightening the medical community about the necessity and superiority of audiological services is also a cost-effective and efficient approach to raising public awareness.

Focus on the Medical Community

People, time, money, and other resources for raising public awareness are limited. Most audiologists try to educate the public or potential patients, not physicians directly. We advocate educating the medical community as the more efficient and effective path to raising awareness. Here is why.