In the preface to this book, the authors state that the purpose of the book is to take “a student through the entire hearing aid process from beginning to end in a logical and clinically applicable manner”.
The book eschews a cookbook type of approach and aims to encourage a deeper understanding of the factors in successful provision of hearing aids. This is both the strength and challenge of the book. There are 780 pages of detailed information about hearing aid technology, verification, speech acoustics, speech testing, candidacy and outcome measures, supplemented by 40-odd pages of further technical data and online appendices. The most important take-home messages are highlighted using boxes such as ‘Technical Tips’ and ‘Key Concepts’. It is primarily aimed at the American market, but most material is relevant to anyone fitting hearing aids, with the primary focus on adults. There is also consideration of recent developments such as open fit styles, trainable hearing aids, wireless streaming and smartphone integration.
If you are interested in the technical aspects of fitting hearing aids, this is probably the book for you. There is detailed information about hearing aid features and how they work (three pages just on wind management!), benefits and limitations and the variability amongst different manufacturers, as well as consideration of verification and validation. There is an emphasis throughout on evidence-based practice to help audiologists make choices about features and accessories that will suit each individual. One minor complaint is that the quality of some figures could be improved. The book is not cheap but, as a reference text, it is good value for money.
