n o t i c e t o
p r o s p e c t i v e u s e r s
Good health practice requires that a person with
a hearing loss have a medical exam by a licensed
physician, who specializes in diseases of the ear,
before purchasing a hearing instrument.
Licensed physicians who specialize in the
diseases of the ear are often referred to as
Otologists, Otolaryngologists (ear, nose and
throat - ENT) or Otorhinolaryngologists.
The purpose of a medical evaluation is to assure
that all medically treatable conditions that may
affect hearing are identified and treated before
the hearing instrument is purchased. Following
the medical evaluation, the physician will give
you a written statement that your hearing loss
has been medically evaluated and that you may
be considered a candidate for a hearing
instrument.
A hearing specialist will conduct an evaluation
to assess your ability to hear. The hearing
instrument evaluation will enable the hearing
specialist to select and fit a hearing instrument
to your individual needs. Federal law restricts
the sale of hearing instruments to those
individuals who have obtained a medical
evaluation from a licensed physician.
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n o t i c e f o r h e a r i n g
h e a l t h c a r e p r o v i d e r s
Federal law allows a fully informed adult to
sign a waiver statement declining the medical
evaluation for religious or personal beliefs that
preclude consultation with a physician. The
exercise of such a waiver is not in your best
interest, and its use is strongly discouraged.
Hearing healthcare providers should advise a
prospective hearing instrument user to
consult promptly with a licensed physician
(preferably an ear specialist) before dispensing
a hearing instrument if the hearing healthcare
provider determines through inquiry, actual
observation, or review of any other available
information, that the prospective user has any
of the following conditions:
• Visible congenital or traumatic deformity
of the ear.
• History of active drainage from the ear
within the previous 90 days.
• History of sudden or rapidly progressive
hearing loss within the previous 90 days.
• Acute or chronic dizziness.
• Unilateral hearing loss of sudden or recent
onset within the previous 90 days.
BTE instruction manual 1.1 6/25/09 2:18 PM Page 27
