In this episode of the Medical English Podcast, we tackle an important and often overlooked area of clinical communication: how to talk to patients about hearing tests. Getting this right matters — hearing loss affects quality of life, safety, and family connection, and clear communication is the first step to helping patients understand and engage with their care.

You'll learn how to:

• Explain what a hearing test is and why it matters, in language patients can easily understand

• Use five key clinical terms — audiologist, tinnitus, audiogram, conductive hearing loss, and sensorineural hearing loss — correctly and with confident pronunciation

• Translate complex terminology into simple patient-friendly explanations • Recognise the signs that suggest a hearing test may be needed, in both adults and children

• Avoid three common communication mistakes including jargon overuse, incorrect word stress, and unnatural phrasing

We cover the difference between conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, how to spot red flags in paediatric patients, and how to make even the most technical vocabulary feel accessible and reassuring for your patients.

This episode is perfect for doctors, nurses, audiologists, international medical graduates, and healthcare professionals preparing for exams like the OET, who want to improve their clinical English vocabulary and patient communication skills.

Enhance your practical medical English with the Medical English Collection: ⁠https://australiabiomed.com/med⁠

🎧 Free transcript & practice quiz for this episode: ⁠https://australiabiomed.com/mep-s4e29/⁠

Structured lessons, real-world case dialogues, pronunciation practice, and exam preparation — all designed for healthcare professionals who want to communicate with confidence.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not provide medical advice.