Professional Communication in Audiology

Professional Communication in Audiology is designed to provide students of audiology and practicing clinicians with a global framework for understanding the role of communication in audiologic practice, as well as practical strategies for implementation of communication principles in a clinical setting.

The introduction to the text describes the importance of communication skills to audiologic practice. This section highlights important aspects of communicating in a clinical setting, including forces affecting reporting guidelines, privacy considerations, and the use of electronic medical records. The next section provides readers with fundamental principles that provide a framework for critically thinking about communication. These universal principles can be applied as a model to all areas of clinical communication. The text then leads the readers through application of these principles in the two most common methods of clinical communication: talking and writing. These skills are discussed specifically in relation to clinical audiologic practice, in the realms of both diagnostic and audiologic intervention paradigms. Examples reflective of real-world encounters are provided. The text also provides abundant examples of audiologic reports that can be utilized as templates in audiologic practice.

Reviews

"The expected level of the intended reader of this book is a student or beginning clinician in audiology. Another potential audience for this book is audiology clinical preceptors, who could use the book as a teaching tool. The book clearly lays out techniques for audiologists to use in communicating with patients and with other professionals. The book's chapters are easy to read and organized. The language is correct and straightforward...[T]he title refers to verbal and written communication conducted by audiologists for information gathering, documentation, and correspondence purposes.

I have integrated information from the case history section and the report writing section into my [own] clinical teaching with AuD students. This book is a helpful tool to explain and consolidate information that students often receive from a number of sources. The references cited were appropriate, comprehensive, and well-documented...Overall, I feel that this is a useful text for the beginning clinician and for AuD students. I would recommend the text as a useful tool for audiology preceptors to help guide their students and for beginning clinicians who are interested in refining their processional interpersonal and written communication skills."
—Melaine Buhr-Lawler, University of Wisconsin-Madison, International Journal of Audiology (53: 63) (2014)

Introduction

Chapter 1. What Guides Professional Communication?

Part I. Verbal Communication with Patients
Chapter 2. Audiologist as a Communicator: Knowing Your Communication Partner
Chapter 3. Audiologist as Detective: Gathering Evidence
Chapter 4. Audiologist as Counselor: Telling the Story Well

Part II. Written Communication with Health Care Providers
Chapter 5. Written Communication
Chapter 6. Documenting
Chapter 7. Reporting: Telling the Story Well
Chapter 8. Sample Reporting and Documentation