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Online group therapy is easier but is it better?

Aphasia is a communication disability caused by stroke, brain injury or dementia. People with aphasia benefit from both the emotional and communication support that group therapy can provide, yet there can be many barriers to accessing this type of intervention,...

Strength of evidence in otolaryngology research – do women make the difference?

Clinicians around the world understand the need for research and publication of gathered evidence to inform practice and improve patient outcomes. The introduction of the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine (CEBM) Levels of Evidence guideline in 2011, has been invaluable...

From a dysphagia clinical trial to a multidisciplinary head and neck clinical pathway – the road to implementation

This paper describes the barriers and facilitators to establishing a structured and coordinated multidisciplinary care pathway for patients with head and neck cancer at a medical centre in the USA. The initiative was set in motion by the roll out...

Is there a role for facial nerve decompression in Ramsay Hunt syndrome?

This is an interesting paper. The authors recommend a transmastoid facial decompression for patients with complete facial nerve paralysis with House Brackman HB 5/6 who do not show any sign of recovery after two weeks of treatment following a diagnosis...

Consequences of Meniere’s Tumarkin crises

Many will be familiar with reports of frightening drop attacks without loss of consciousness experienced by some Meniere’s disease (MD) patients. This study analysed data from an electronic survey of over 600 members of a national Meniere’s society. The aim...

Who finds it hard to swallow?

Early identification of dysphagia in inpatients on acute stroke wards has been recommended as best practice guidelines in many countries. However, several institutions fail to use formal dysphagia screening protocols and rely on informal detection by nurses and doctors. This...

Treating middle ear conditions in developing countries

This month’s journal issue discussed global health in otolaryngology with this paper focusing on the management of chronic middle ear disease in the developing world. Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is more common in developing countries. The reason for this...

A histological test for LPR?

Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is often considered to be a contributory factor to the development of a spectrum of laryngeal abnormalities including vocal cord leukoplakia and dysplasia. This is especially the case when traditional risk factors, such as tobacco smoking, are...

Empty Nose Syndrome: Evidence Based Proposals for Inferior Turbinate Management

To cut or not to cut, that is the question… The authors of Empty Nose Syndrome emphatically implore the reader to spare the inferior turbinate, lest they cause patients this undue misery! This book is a thought-provoking journey through the...

Live versus e-learning – which is the most effective communication training approach for health care staff?

If staff are unable to communicate with their patients this can impact negatively on the patient’s healthcare. They may be excluded from decisions about their own care and their rights to informed consent may be violated. Conversation partner training has...

How useful is AHI?

There is a growing unease in the sleep medicine world about the usefulness of the apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI). Most of our objective evidence about obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is in some way related to the AHI, and the respiratory physicians...