A screening questionnaire may be used to screen for communication problems and social and emotional handicaps stemming from hearing loss. Questionnaires may be filled out by the patient or administered by staff. One type of standardized questionnaire for this purpose is presented in Table 35.1 . Some authorities recommend audiologic referral for patients who score 10 or higher on this questionnaire. Screening questionnaires have the advantage of identifying patients who perceive hearing loss to be a problem and who may be particularly motivated to use a hearing aid.
Some authorities recommend using both a questionnaire and pure-tone testing for screening.
This approach may modestly improve sensitivity and specificity. When using either method, keep the environment in which screening is administered as quiet as possible. Use frequencies that are within the speech range. Disagreement exists about the sound intensity that should be used for screening. Hz, and 4000 Hz.