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The process of medical innovation

You’ve got an amazing idea for a new device. It is going to change how your speciality of surgery is practised. It will lead to better operative results and lower risks to patients – that’s amazing, can I see it?...

Reflections on virtual teaching

In a situation where we cannot meet our students (whether they be medical professionals or non-medical), how do we maintain their education? Peter Samuel has been speaking to some colleagues on how they have risen to the challenge. The COVID-19...

Setting up a robotic surgical practice: view from India

Transoral robotic surgery has an established role in head and neck cancer surgery. But how easy is it to set up a service in a resource-constrained environment? Gouri Pantvaidya and Ameya Pai give us a view from the Indian subcontinent....

Tonsillitis and tonsillectomies: where do we go from Paradise?

Landmark Paper: Paradise JL, Bluestone CD, Bachman RZ, et al. Efficacy of tonsillectomy for recurrent throat infection in severely affected children – results of parallel randomized and nonrandomized clinical trials. N Engl J Med 1984;310(11):674-83. The Paradise paper on tonsillectomy...

My experience of addiction

In this incredibly honest and thought-provoking article, we hear from an anonymous doctor who has struggled with addiction. The nature of addiction is a subject of interest to a broad range of scientific disciplines, from medicine to psychology, psychotherapy and...

Burnout: is this just a pandemic phenomenon?

The phrase ‘burnout’ is often heard, but what is it, and what are the early warning signs? Importantly, how can it be prevented or managed? Over the last few years, health professional wellbeing, mental health, and burnout have come to...

Patient-centred audiological rehabilitation: facilitating and hindering factors for implementation

Introduction Patient-centred care in the health sector is a worldwide concern [1, 2]. Patient-centred rehabilitation is characterised by availability, appropriateness, preference, and timelines [3]. A consensus report by the Institute of Medicine [4] defines a patient-centred approach as ‘providing care...

Dr Marion Pfaender Down

“Dr Marion P Downs, an innovator in the field of paediatric audiology and a tireless advocate for the early identification of hearing loss, passed away on November 13, 2014. During her exemplary career at the University of Colorado Health Sciences...

When patient choice stands in the way of patient-centredness

In the field of hearing care, there is increasing focus on ensuring patient autonomy and choice. Greater participation in decision making is supposed to result in better patient satisfaction. A study conducted in ENT and audiology clinics paradoxically suggests that...

Rehabilitation of single-sided deafness with cochlear implants

The relatively recent emergence of cochlear implantation as a potential means of restoring hearing to a deafened ear, in the presence of normal hearing in the other ear, has proved an exciting and yet surprising development. James Tysome explores the...

Assessing dizziness-related quality of life in the paediatric population

In this article, Devin McCaslin and Gary Jacobson share their experience of assessing dizziness-related quality of life in paediatric patients, and demonstrate that the involvement of care-givers is vital in ensuring the most appropriate assessment and treatment for this particular...