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Time to professionalise medical leadership

For a profession proud of its adherence to an evidence base, medicine has been remarkably slow to acknowledge and to act on the evidence which underpins the value of good leadership to patients and the healthcare system. Mr Robert Francis...

The role of the maxillo-facial surgeon in the management of skull base malignancy

Whilst ablative surgery remains the principal treatment option for head and neck malignancy, the skull base is the last frontier. The complex anatomy, supreme functionality of the brain, and varied pathology provokes many a detailed discussion in the multidisciplinary team...

The role of the multidisciplinary team in laryngology and airway – the Charing Cross experience

As the National Centre for Airway Reconstruction, the Charing Cross laryngology MDT provides expert care to patients with airway problems as well as voice and swallowing disorders. In this article, the team explain their raison d’etre and why the MDT...

Leadership challenges in the world 
of AQP and accreditation – learning from experience

The words ‘choice and competition’, ‘any qualified provider (AQP)’ and ‘accreditation’ have irrevocably become part of audiology jargon in the last two years in England. Commissioners who chose ‘Adult Hearing Aid Services for age-related hearing loss’ have begun the process...

Will it ever happen?

Audiology is a rapidly evolving field, with many exciting developments on the horizon. David Baguley identified some topics of interest, and asked some international experts ‘will it ever happen?’ Gene therapy for deafness After years of development, gene therapy for...

Assessment of genetic disorders: congenital sensorineural hearing loss

Severe or profound sensorineural hearing impairment (SNHI) is a common birth defect, affecting approximately 1 in 1000 newborns [1]. SNHI may result from environmental causes or have a genetic basis. The genetic causes can be further subdivided into non-syndromic (isolated...

Wilde and the foundations of medical epidemiology

William Wilde (father of Oscar) was renowned as an otologist, but less well known for his work in epidemiology. The bedrock of the modern discipline of public health is good data collection, and we hear from our good friend, Ray...

Mapping the financial and disease burden of hearing loss and associated interventions

The prevalence and burden of ear and hearing disorders is huge and, historically, has been underappreciated. Globally, unaddressed hearing loss poses a growing public health challenge, requiring urgent attention from policymakers, health professionals and civil society. The recently published World...

Access to and uptake of cochlear implants in the UK

Assessing demands on cochlear implant (CI) services is very important for both commissioners and clinicians in anticipating clinical need and funding requirements. Commercial CI’s were introduced in the late 1980s. Initial funding was from charitable sources. The first major advance...

Paediatric vestibular evaluation

Richard E Gans is a renowned expert in the areas of vestibular evaluation and rehabilitation techniques. In the first of two articles (see here for the second article), Dr Gans gives an overview of the approach he and his team...