More than a handful of colleagues have asked for advice on how to respond to questions posed by patients or parents about properly cleaning hearing aids in the midst of COVID-19. It is perfectly normal to feel anxiety during these uncertain times. Anxiety is an emotional signal alerting us to pay attention and to be aware of things that may be potentially harmful. These questions reflect a need for our patients or the parents of our patients to feel safe, certain, and in control. Audiologists have the opportunity to offer guidance and assurance by offering information and practical answers. For your convenience, a sample communication has been provided below; modify verbiage were necessary to make it applicable to your practice.
Sample Communication To Patients/Parents about Cleaning Hearing Aids
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, patients/parents have been asking about how to best clean and disinfect hearing aid/earmold surfaces. Based on what is currently known about COVID-19, spread from person-to-person of this virus happens among close contact (within 6 feet) when someone sneezes or coughs. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the transmission of the virus causing COVID-19 to individuals as a result of touching surfaces contaminated with the virus has not been documented.1 The CDC has not issued any specific guidelines beyond general cleaning and disinfecting household surfaces beyond traditional house hold cleaners and disinfectants available over-the-counter. Based on this general information, the recommendations for hearing aid maintenance at home stay the same.
Cleaning hearing aids every day is important for many reason, including the fact that the ear is a dark, warm, moist place where bacterial and other germs, some good and some bad, like to grow. It is important to always clean and then disinfect your hearing aids before putting them in the ear. AudioWipes is a product specifically designed to clean hearing aids. While this product cannot make claims about killing germs, the ingredient used to saturated the towelettes is an EPA registered disinfectant (EPA Reg. No. 1839-94-71111) that kills germs, including the specific virus that causes COVID-19.
Hospital grade disinfectants for home use is not recommended; these are potent, toxic chemicals that should be reserved for controlled environments, such as clinics and hospitals, and mainly reserved for hard surfaces like table and counter tops, and other common touch surfaces in healthcare environments. Hearing aids and earmolds are intended to reside in the ears and, when not in use, in an appropriate storage container. For home use, AudioWipes is sufficient for your hearing aid and/or earmold care.
Food for Thought:
Modify the above information as needed and use it to:
- share with teachers in school settings who may need to handle hearings aids, earmolds, or shareable remote microphones but don’t have access to disinfectant wipes;
- formulate a relevant and helpful blog post for your practice website;
- create an educational video showing how to clean hearing aids and to use what your audiologists recommends;
- generate more traffic to your practice’s e-shop;
- bring traffic to your e-shop where Audio Wipes are available for purchase;
- create an educational piece for patients to read while in designated reception/waiting areas and patient rooms, making sure your clinic has some stock available for immediate sale;
- use the product in your office and counsel patients to purchase product from you to properly clean their hearing aids, earmolds, and anything else they may stick in or near their ears (Smartphones, earphones, custom ear plugs).
If you do not have an e-shop or if you prefer not to maintain stock of product in your office, refer patients to buy AudioWipes from a reputable website like AudiologySupplies.com to purchase AudioWipes in a 30 wipe pouch or a canister of 160 wipes at retail price. Audio Wipes are available from Oaktree Products for your practice in mini-canisters, large canisters, pouch of 30 wipes, box of 100 singles, and box of 30 singles.
REFERENCES
CDC (March 28, 2020). Cleaning and Disinfecting for Households. Accessed April 17, 2020. Available online: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cleaning-disinfection.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fprepare%2Fcleaning-disinfection.html
