Just as hearing care is your calling, core disciplines are to respective medical specialists. For example, diabetes to endocrinologists, kidney disease to nephrologists and dementia to geriatricians. Like you, these subject matter experts dedicate careers to honing their craft. Being reciprocally motivated by whole-person care imperatives, this presents natural opportunities to “connect the dots” on educational topics of public health importance. Far from “salesy”, this health-literacy driven approach is high-integrity and aspirational. Case in point, envision conversing with currently-referring endocrinologists and genuinely expressing, “just as hearing care is dear to me, I know diabetes care is to you. With research indicating those with diabetes are about twice as likely to have hearing loss, may I share evidence-based educational materials that are patient-friendly and useful?”

Akin to clinical protocols, systematic awareness plans and logical action steps define blueprints for optimal outcomes. With which medical specialists should select “Did You Know?” comorbidity information be shared? To successfully plan intuitive networking, profile current referral sources and identify clinical interests their websites indicate. Are they primary care and internal medicine doctors treating an array of medical conditions or specialists like endocrinologists, neurologists, oncologists or psychologists with distinct therapeutic focus? Either way, your patient-centric platform for communication wellness dialogue should be nurtured to benefit all involved.