Developing Foundational Counseling Skills for Addressing Adherence Issues in Auditory Rehabilitation

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Healthcare Professional Training
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Hearing aid adoption is a significant challenge for healthcare professionals.
• Patient adherence to hearing aid recommendations is crucial for effective hearing health management.
• Building a patient-centered therapeutic relationship is key during initial evaluations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide resources and tools for training students in essential counseling skills.
• To develop a hierarchy of counseling skills for addressing hearing aid treatment adherence.
• To equip future professionals with techniques for patient engagement and collaboration.

Main Methods:

• Focus on informational counseling, including comprehension checks and problem clarification.
• Emphasize communication skills such as shared-communication space, congruence, and empathy.
• Incorporate health behavior change strategies like Motivational Interviewing and the Teach-Back Method.

Main Results:

• Training in a hierarchy of counseling skills is a prerequisite for addressing treatment adherence.
• Students can develop skills in informational, communication, and behavior change counseling.
• Effective counseling fosters patient collaboration in managing hearing loss treatment.

Conclusions:

• Enhanced counseling skills training is vital for improving hearing aid uptake and utilization.
• A patient-centered approach strengthens the therapeutic relationship and promotes adherence.
• These training resources aim to improve hearing health outcomes through better patient engagement.