Cros Hearing Aid System

Cros Hearing Aid System

What is a CROS or BiCROS Hearing Aid?

CROS stands for Contralateral Routing of Sound.  The CROS system is often suggested for people who are deaf in one ear, but who have normal hearing in the other ear. A BiCROS system is for people who are deaf in one ear, but have a hearing impairment in the other ear.  This helps the person to hear sounds from both ears. 

Both the CROS and BiCROS system will look like conventional hearing aids. Sound is transmitted wirelessly from the deaf ear into the better ear. See diagram below (reproduced by kind permission of Oticon)

CROS

BiCROS

Potential benefits of a CROS or BiCROS Hearing Aid

• Hear sound from both sides, no longer needing to turn your head or miss someone speaking on your poor side
• Awareness of other sounds around you
• Possible benefit in low level noise environments

Limitations of a CROS or BiCros Hearing Aid

• Getting used to CROS or BiCROS hearing aids can take time
• The hearing aid system cannot improve localisation of sound, or provide a stereo effect.
• It may still be difficult to hear in some noisy situations with poor acoustics
• As with any hearing aid, good communication tactics will help manage challenging listening situations

If your symptoms or condition worsens, or if you are concerned about anything, please call your GP, 111, or 999.

Patient Experience

We know that being admitted to hospital can be a difficult and unsettling time for you and your loved ones. If you have any questions or concerns, please do speak with a member of staff on the ward or in the relevant department who will do their best to answer your questions and reassure you. 

Feedback

Feedback is really important and useful to us – it can tell us where we are working well and where improvements can be made. There are lots of ways you can share your experience with us including completing our Friends and Family Test – cards are available and can be posted on all wards, departments and clinics at our hospitals. We value your comments and feedback and thank you for taking the time to share this with us.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

If you have any concerns or questions about your care, we advise you to talk with the nurse in charge or the department manager in the first instance as they are best placed to answer any questions or resolve concerns quickly. If the relevant member of staff is unable to help resolve your concern, you can contact the PALS Team. We offer informal help, advice or support about any aspect of hospital services & experiences.

Our PALS team will liaise with the various departments in our hospitals on your behalf, if you feel unable to do so, to resolve your problems and where appropriate refer to outside help.

If you are still unhappy you can contact the Complaints Department, who can investigate your concerns. You can make a complaint orally, electronically or in writing and we can advise and guide you through the complaints procedure.

How to contact PALS:

Telephone Patient Services: 0300 123 1732 or via email at: [email protected]

Opening times:

The PALS telephone lines are open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.00pm. Please be aware that you may need to leave a voicemail message, but we aim to return your call within one working day.

If you are unable to understand this leaflet, please communicate with a member of staff.  

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