About Us
www.hearingaidreview.org.uk has been compiled by me, Robert Donnan, with a little help from our 4 main contributors (who are all patients of mine). Hopefully, we can help debunk some over-marketing of hearing aids, and give you, the potential hearing aid consumer a better insight into the hearing aid market.
About our Author
www.hearingaidreview.org.uk is a consumer’s guide to modern digital hearing aids; where with the help of actual hearing aid wearers, we attempt to review all the new hearing aid models. My name is Robert Donnan and I have worked extensively within the Audiology and Hearing Aid sector for over 24 years, the last 11 of which, solely dedicated to providing independent care through our flagship practice in Cleckheaton and subsequent partner practices across the UK.
With the help of 4 hearing aid patients (we call our ‘testers’, and several other occasional volunteers) all willing and prepared to stringently test and review all the latest hearing aids, we will…
- Provide factual and helpful hearing aid information to you, the consumer.
- Put the manufacturers marketing hype to the test – with real hearing aid users in real life situations.
- Provide background information on all the major hearing aid manufacturers.
- Report not only upon the sound quality and overall performance of the various manufacturer’s offerings but also upon the design, fit and overall build quality too.
- Explain in simple terms, the hows, whats and whys of the array of ancillary / assistive listening devices, including details on the various smartphone hearing aid apps.
HCPC registered hearing aid dispensers:
I’m an independent private ‘hearing aid dispenser’ (HCPC registered). This is the protected name for the qualification required in the UK to be able to prescribe (or sell) hearing aids. There is a general habit of ‘us’ describing ourselves as AUDIOLOGISTS. I am personally ok with this term, even though it is was primarily used to describe an NHS trained person who measures hearing. It is not a protected term, and describes a person concerned with the measurement and understanding of hearing levels. Some hearing aid dispensers may well hold other qualifications (such as a BSc, Doctorate, etc) but they are not required.
It is regrettable that the qualifications of hearing aid dispensers are sometimes over-stated. So I am seeing terms such as consultant audiologist, cerumenologist and consultant which might be an attempt to overstate our qualifications? The word consultant used in the context of say, an ‘interior design consultant’ is acceptable. To use the word in a medically-connected way is open to mis-interpretation and suggests a qualification equal to that of a consultant surgeon.
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