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mHealth technologies empower users of hearing healthcare

The opportunities provided by mhealth technologies to personalise and encourage user involvement in hearing healthcare has many benefits for adults with hearing loss. Melanie Ferguson explains how mhealth can empower hearing aid users. Connected health is likely to transform hearing...

OTC hearing aids: where are we now?

The ‘Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act’ of 2017 set in motion plans for a long-debated shift in the hearing care market. In 2021, the FDA released draft guidance which will allow hearing aids in the US to be sold direct to...

Cochlear implants and therapeutics: a natural partnership?

Global awareness of cochlear implants as a solution for hearing loss is slowly increasing and gaining acceptance. The potential for combining cochlear implants with inner ear therapeutics is immense, with promise in several areas. This article takes us on a...

Current management of unilateral sporadic vestibular schwannoma

Vestibular schwannoma is the commonest tumour of the cerebellopontine angle (80%) and accounts for around 8% of all intracranial tumours. The commonest primary presenting symptoms are audio vestibular. Hearing health professionals are often the first contact for patients with potential symptoms of vestibular schwannoma, with the majority then being seen and diagnosed by otorhinolaryngologists.

Paediatric obstructive sleep apnoea

As tonsillectomy rates for recurrent sore throats have declined, there has been increasing recognition of the importance of OSA in children. Not always diagnosed early – or in some cases at all – and with continuing debate as to how...

RNID’s campaign to restore NHS earwax removal services in the UK

Wax removal in the UK has become a topic of intense discussion. Here, Crystal Rolfe discusses the RNID’s findings and approach to tackling the issue. Earwax build-up can cause painful and distressing symptoms – a 2022 RNID survey found people...

BTA Plug’em campaign – teaching young people how to enjoy live music safely

In today’s world of ever-increasing sound levels, the Plug’em campaign, run by the British Tinnitus Association (BTA), is highlighting the issue of tinnitus caused by loud music in people aged 16-25 years old. The purpose of the campaign is to...

Cochlear implant referral: how can we do better?

Considerable progress has been made over the last few years in improving access to cochlear implantation (CI) in the UK for children and adults with severe to profound deafness. But we are still not treating children early enough, and we...

Inter-professional teamwork and hearing care for older adults with cognitive loss

There is growing awareness that hearing loss is linked to dementia [1]. The average first-time hearing aid user is about 70 years old. By this age, approximately 1 in 2 people have hearing loss and 1 in 7 have cognitive...

Evidence based practice in paediatric audiology

Audiology, like most of the health sciences professions, has been working on integrating evidence-based practice principles since the mid-1990s [1]. Professional organisations and regulatory colleges have produced evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, disseminated them to audiologists and collaborated with practitioners to...

Integrating technology into audiological rehabilitation programmes

In the future, the rehabilitation of adults with hearing loss is likely to involve modern information technology. Using the Internet in the audiological rehabilitation process might be a cost-effective way to include additional rehabilitation components by guiding hearing aid users...