Fitting and Dispensing Hearing Aids – Third Edition is intended primarily as a course book for “non‑audiologists or undergraduate audiology students who have yet to fit their first pair of hearing aids”. It is aimed primarily at students in the USA, although it would also be suitable for students in other countries.
It is a substantial volume (571 two-column pages) that covers a wide range of topics relevant to the selection and fitting of hearing aids, including everything from the psychology of dealing with a client, to the basics of acoustics, the anatomy and physiology of the ear, hearing disorders, hearing aid styles, signal processing in hearing aids, fitting methods, and outcome assessment.
The approach is conversational but clear. The authors have made a considerable effort to explain technical concepts as simply as possible, with many useful analogies. The writing is clear and the important points are conveyed well. Furthermore, the book is very up to date, and includes extensive discussion of the features that are available in modern hearing aids. Where the research evidence on the benefits of a specific feature is not yet clear, the authors acknowledge that.
Overall, this is an excellent book. I had only few minor quibbles. Table 5-2 in the book gives OSHA maximum permissible noise levels for various exposure times, and indicates that 90dB is permissible for eight hours per day. But many other organisations, including the World Health Organisation, recommend lower limits. It is generally agreed that noise becomes hazardous when its level exceeds 85dB for eight hours per day. Also, quite a lot of the topics that are mentioned in the text (e.g. the TEN test for diagnosing dead regions in the cochlea) are not listed in the index.
These minor quibbles aside, the book is a very valuable resource. At approximately £72 in the UK, the book represents excellent value for money.
