If you’ve never been to an audiology appointment before, you may be feeling a little nervous or apprehensive. When you see an audiologist, they will do their best to help you relax and stay calm. There’s nothing to worry about, you won’t experience any pain, and hopefully, the appointment will have a positive outcome. If you’re not sure what to expect, consider three common things that will happen during your audiologist appointment.

1. Questions

Before your audiologist performs hearing tests and examinations, they will ask you a series of questions. These questions enable them to find out more about your symptoms, get an idea of why you’ve come to see them and provide information about your medical history. If you have underlying health conditions, for example, it’s important that your audiologist is aware of medications you’re taking, allergies and any previous procedures, injuries or illnesses. Your medical history may have a bearing on your general health, your hearing and the types of treatment that can be recommended by health professionals. You may notice your audiologist making notes or updating records on a computer while you’re talking. Don’t worry about answering questions. The questions your audiologist will ask are purely to build a picture and provide information that will help to increase the chances of making an accurate diagnosis and identifying the best treatment options.

2. Hearing tests and examinations

After your audiologist talks with you, they will carry out some tests to determine how well you can hear. There are three main types of test used to assess hearing at this stage: an otoscopy, tympanometry and audiometry. The otoscopy involves using an instrument called an otoscope to look inside the ear canal. This examination enables your audiologist to check for structural issues or blockages, which may be affecting your hearing, such as a buildup of earwax. Tympanometry tests the function of the middle ear, and it enables your audiologist to check the response of the eardrum. This test can help to highlight problems like fluid on the eardrum or an ear infection. Audiometry measures your ability to hear sounds. This part of the appointment will take place in a soundproof room, and you’ll be asked to respond to sounds that you hear by raising your hand.

3. Discussing the findings

Once your audiologist has completed the testing process, they will discuss the findings with you. If you’re experiencing difficulties with your hearing, and there’s a treatable cause, for example, excessive earwax or fluid in the ear, your audiologist will discuss treatment options with you. If you have substantial hearing loss, your audiologist may recommend hearing aids. If this is the case, they can go through the options with you, answer any questions and give you some demonstrations. A follow-up session will then be arranged to talk in more detail and order and customize your hearing aids.

It can be daunting going to any kind of medical appointment. If you’ve got a session booked with an audiologist, try and relax. Hopefully, this guide has given you an idea of what to expect and helped to reassure you that there’s nothing to worry about.