A hearing screening is a brief test of tones (usually taking less than 5 minutes to complete) at a pre-specified level. A person will either hear them, or not. If they are not heard, the person is identified as being at risk for hearing loss, and will be referred to an audiologist to find out whether a hearing loss is present.

A full hearing assessment uses a combination of tests to evaluate the minimum levels of sound a person can hear, and also identifies, through tests that isolate each part of the auditory system, the exact part of the pathway that is causing the problem.

A full assessment is the ONLY way to identify whether a problem can be treated rather than aided. It is unethical to fit a hearing aid for any person, without a more comprehensive assessment. A screening or even a basic test can miss vital medical information, or fail to identify factors that could influence the success of intervention on a person’s hearing, their communication, and quality of life.

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