Hearing Screening Case Study

Observations: On December 6, 2016, Temple University Speech Language and Hearing Center (TUSLHC) offered free hearing screenings to Temple University faculty and students. Three screenings were observed. Each screening included a throughout case history interview, an otoscopic examination, and pure-tone threshold hearing screening. During the case history interviews, the graduate clinicians asked each client a series of questions pertinent to their hearing. The case history included questions, such as history of hearing difficulties/loss, current issues, familial history of hearing difficulties/loss, and daily activities that may affect hearing, in order to determine clients at risk for hearing difficulties/loss. Two of the three clients (Client A and Client B) reported negative histories for hearing difficulties/loss and familial history. One client (Client C) reported a familial history for severe hearing loss. All …show more content…
During screenings that we performed this semester, we did not put on gloves before beginning otoscopic examinations. This was not explicitly reviewed in class meetings, although on further reflection, we should have always used gloves. According to ASHA (2004a), evaluations should adhere to universal health precautions, including the use of gloves, to protect both the client and the clinician from exposure to bodily fluids. Otherwise, otoscopic examinations were carried out in the same fashion as we were taught, including placing a clean tip on the otoscope after each use, anchoring the arm on the client for stability, providing a brief explanation and comments on what is being observed, and providing suggestions when necessary. For example, Client B was observed to have excess cerumen, so the graduate clinician suggested that the client wipe his/her ears with some tissue paper after a