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Barrier and opportunities for hearing care: finding a way forward for all

Ideal models of care for communities can include tailored ear and hearing care interventions. Barriers exist at an individual and societal level to realise the vision of hearing care for all, regardless of country or resource setting. Affordability of hearing...

Taking life by the throat

Patients suffering with problems with their voice, airway and/or swallowing can find their symptoms immensely distressing, and their care places a huge burden on healthcare systems. We hear from a world-leading laryngologist on current and future directions. Field of interest...

Screening for hearing aid fittings – an approach for primary care

Introduction The communication difficulties related to hearing loss can lead to ‘depression, social withdrawal and problems with employment and access to information sources’ [1]. Furthermore, unmanaged hearing loss is associated with dementia, a poorer quality of life, depression, anxiety and...

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...

Tackling information overload and retention – interactive multimedia videos for first-time hearing aid users

If you are an audiologist reading this article, how confident are you that all the information and advice that you offer your first-time hearing aid (HA) patients is understood, absorbed and then acted upon once they leave the comfort of...

Three is not a crowd! Involving family members in audiology appointments

Family members currently have minimal involvement in the appointment. Image by Caitlin Grenness. Hearing loss in older adults not only affects the patients themselves, but also their family members. This article outlines the findings of recent research into how family...

Database WG2. The Tinnitus Patient Database in the TINNET COST Action BM1306

Berthold Langguth describes an innovative project that is creating the world’s largest multi-national patient database containing standardised information on tinnitus and medical history, otological examination and psycho-acoustic measures of tinnitus. A challenge for tinnitus treatment and tinnitus research is the...

Knowledge is power: the power of mobile technologies to enhance hearing-related knowledge

In recent years, the widespread use of smartphones has made it increasingly possible to improve knowledge, understanding and delivery of hearing healthcare. Melanie Ferguson tells us about the advances in mobile-health applications. Think back to five years ago - what...

How I lost my hearing aid…and other patient experiences

All audiologists, I am sure, would claim that they give full explanations of hearing aid controls and use of the devices at all fitting appointments. However, we know that patients do not always absorb all that they are told and...

Developing outcome measures for research

There are challenges in developing outcomes measures; Professor Hall presents five top pointers for making rapid progress in developing outcome measures for research purposes. Anyone who has worked clinically with hearing loss will appreciate that every patient’s experience is personal....

Hidden hearing loss in humans

Awareness of cochlear synaptopathy (‘hidden hearing loss’) is growing. Chris Plack gives us an introduction to the condition, defining it and reviewing recent research in humans and animals with respect to noise exposure. The main cause of hearing loss is...