Audiology Practice Standards Organization (APSO) is an organization established for the purpose of publishing and maintaining standards for audiology practice. Standard 2.1, Hearing Aid Fitting for Adult and Geriatric Patients, was published based on current literature and accepted clinical practice and documents the professional work audiologists perform to determine candidacy, select, fit, verify, and follow up with adult patients receiving hearing aids. This 15-item standard is listed below and is available at: www. audiologystandards.org/standards/current.php While hearing aid technology has changed rapidly, the actual process of what is considered to be the standard for hearing aid fitting has not changed much in the last decade. So, what is the difference between a standard and guideline? Really, it is the “what” versus the “how.” The standard is the minimum practice, whereas a guideline may state more than one way to go about completing the task. The goal of a standard is to give minimal acceptable practice, not to address outcomes.
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