Audiology

Referring to Audiology clinics

A written referral is required. We accept referrals for routine audiology, vestibular and infant diagnostic hearing assessments – see below for links to referral forms. Referrals are accepted from general practitioners (GPs), medical specialists (e.g. paediatricians; ear, nose and throat specialists; neurologists), early childhood specialists (e.g. maternal and child health nurse, early intervention providers), speech pathologists, hearing services, schools, parents or carers.

Send your referral to us via:

• Email: [email protected]
• Fax: (03) 4215 0833
• Post: Barwon Health Audiology Department, Allied Health HW2, University Hospital Geelong, Ryrie Street, Geelong 3220

Referral forms 

• • Standard audiology referral form
  • Vestibular/balance assessment referral form
  • Infant Diagnostic assessment audiology referral form

Standard Audiology Consultations

Adult diagnostic assessment

Inclusive of pure tone audiometry, tympanometry and speech recognition assessment.

Paediatric diagnostic assessment

Behavioural testing can be performed from the age of approximately five months, (or when the infant is able to sit up independently). The audiologists will distract your child and teach them to turn their head to a reward (a puppet or animation on a screen), and then observe their responses to understand their hearing levels.

From the age of approximately two and a half years, the audiologist will teach your child to play a listening game, responding when they hear the sound.

Specialist Audiology Consultations

Newborn / infant hearing testing (from birth to 6 months of age)

Newborn infants and young babies can have their hearing assessed during natural sleep. Electrophysiological and objective hearing assessment of infants includes Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) testing, Auditory Steady State Response (ASSR) testing and Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE). Older children who have developmental challenges (making standard audiology difficult) may have their hearing assessed under mild sedation or general anaesthesia, which would only be arranged by a specialist doctor during an inpatient admission.

Audio-Vestibular Assessment (AVA)

The AVA service is unique to the Barwon South West region of Victoria and aims to support patients with balance and dizzy problems. Our multidisciplinary team of audiologists and physiotherapists work closely with each other to assess balance function with the latest technology and provide rehabilitation where appropriate. Extensive vestibular assessment inclusive of video head impulse (vHIT), cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP), ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP), videonystagmography (VNG) and caloric assessment is also available to specialist referrers.

Inpatient Audiology Services 

Whilst you are an inpatient at University Hospital Geelong or McKellar Inpatient Rehabilitation Centre, we can support you with your hearing needs. A referral to Audiology can be made by asking your care team.

Communication strategies

• Barwon Health Hearing and Communication Strategies for Patients and Families fact sheet

Middle ear fluid and middle ear infections

• Barwon Health Middle Ear Fluid and Middle Ear Infections fact sheet

Tinnitus

Barwon Health tinnitus fact sheet

Audiology Australia

• https://audiology.asn.au/Audiology_and_You/About_Audiologists

Hearing Services Program

• http://www.hearingservices.gov.au/