Audiology

The following services are provided at the Royal Hobart Hospital, Launceston General Hospital, Mersey Community Hospital and North West Regional Hospital:

• New born hearing screening and follow up diagnostic assessments
• Cochlear implant assessment and rehabilitation

The following services are provided at the Royal Hobart Hospital only:

• A full range of diagnostic services including behavioural and electrophysiological tests for children and adults
• Provision of loan assistive listening devices to patients at Royal Hobart Hospital

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide:

• Amplification devices such as hearing aids or bone anchored hearing aids
• Vestibular testing
• Central auditory processing disorder assessment

We do not require a referral for the following patients:

• Cochlear implant assessment. A recent audiogram and information about the client's hearing aids is required prior to the assessment appointment.
• Adults and children who have cochlear implants and wish to transfer to the clinic. A handover report from their current CI clinic as well as the speech processor MAPping file is required before an appointment can be arranged
• Infants under 12 months for hearing screening or diagnostic assessment.

A referral is required for all other patients. This can be from a medical practitioner, allied health professional or child health nurse. eReferral is now the preferred method of referral for this service and is available in All regions. Please refer via HealthLink SmartForm eReferral through your software system (either Best Practice, or Medical Director). For instructions, see the creating an eReferral quick guide.

All referrals and appointments are arranged from our main office at RHH. To cancel or reschedule appointments phone 03 6166 0107.

Referrals to Audiology will not result in patients being routinely referred onto the ENT Department. If a referral from a GP is marked to Audiology +/- ENT then following the audiology assessment the patient will be referred to ENT (link to ENT page) if appropriate.

If a parent is concerned you must refer for formal audiological assessment. Undiagnosed or late diagnosed hearing loss has significant consequences. More information about hearing testing in children.

Referral Categorisation

All referrals are triaged, and appointments provided based on clinical priority. The information below is a guide only.

Urgent (Category 1)

• Sudden hearing loss in children and adults
• Head injury with suspected or reported hearing loss or tinnitus
• Meningitis
• Monitoring of children and adults receiving ototoxic medication
• Infants who have not developed any words by 14 months of age
• Children where previous screening/testing suggests significant hearing loss
• Pre-operative assessments (where surgery is pending)
• Cochlear implant recipients with deteriorating performance or faulty/lost speech processors
• Social work support for families of newly diagnosed hearing impaired infants

Semi-urgent (Category 2)

• Children and adults at high risk of hearing loss or with known risk factors e.g. craniofacial abnormalities, recurrent middle ear pathology, significant speech and or developmental delays
• Adults and children with at least a severe hearing loss for cochlear implant assessment
• Regression in speech or language development
• Infants under 12 months where there are concerns about their hearing (even if they passed their newborn screen)
• Paediatric cochlear implantees
• Social work support for families of children referred to the cochlear implant clinic
• Speech and language therapy for children with cochlear implants who have significant speech and language delays
• Speech and language therapy for children with cochlear implants who are not receiving speech pathology service from another provider

Routine (Category 3)

• Children with learning difficulties
• Adults with long standing hearing loss and or tinnitus
• Infants and children with risk factors for hearing loss where there are no specific concerns regarding hearing
• Children being assessed for developmental delay or autism where there are no specific concerns about their hearing
• Adult cochlear implantees
• Social work support for adults referred to the cochlear implant clinic
• Social work support for families diagnosed with treatable hearing loss
• Speech pathology for school age cochlear implantees

• ENT Clinic
• Hearing Services in Tasmania
• Tasmanian Health Pathways website