Perceptions of Successful Unlearning in Hearing Aid Practioners

In patient care, maintaining skill competencies during technological advances requires effective knowledge changes processes. One method used consists of task repetition until errors are non-existent and successful demonstration of new learning is complete however, adjusting to numerous procedural changes may be difficult. Determining how to maximize change process during competency acquisition is essential. The strategy of how to change or “unlearn” previous actions and acquire new competencies successfully has been of interest. Because of the lack of a consistent definition of unlearning, a persistent problem remains. This study: (a) collected information about successful unlearning, and (b) demonstrated unlearning requirements for knowledge change occurrences in the hearing healthcare field. Study results: Survey of fifty hearing-aid professionals assessed their successful unlearning during instrumentation advances. Practioners’ responses during instrument updating demonstrated three perceptions of successful unlearningrequiring previous knowledge base, awareness about the need for change, and possessing positive viewpoints about unlearning.