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Out of Africa: Audiovannah audiology clinic in Zimbabwe

Audiovannah reception area. In 2015 two Danish audiologists, Jenny Pedersen and Nicolai Pedersen, relocated to Zimbabwe and opened a full service audiology clinic (Audiovannah) in the capital city of Harare. The focus has been to give back as much as...

Protheses for patients with severe bilateral vestibular loss

In February 2003, I met a patient with severe bilateral vestibular loss due to gentamicin toxicity, and I felt disheartened. Despite the fantastic diagnostic vestibular lab we had at Maastricht University Hospital, what could I truly offer her? She had...

Patient and public involvement in research

One step further from involving patients in setting research priorities is to involve them in the planning and recruitment stages of the subsequent trials and studies. Here, Carl Philpott and Aneeka Degun explain the concept of Patient and Public Involvement...

Does diet have a role in the prevention of tinnitus?

Tinnitus, diet and healthy ageing Despite the high prevalence of tinnitus, its exact aetiology remains unclear. Research has explored the role of various biological pathways in the development of tinnitus including age-related changes in the auditory system, impaired vascular function,...

The James Lind Alliance – involving patients and their health professionals jointly in setting priorities for research

In a world of patient-reported outcomes and patient-centred care, patient-centred research must also be considered. That is where the James Lind Alliance (JLA) comes in, as Caroline Whiting explains below. Through Priority Setting Partnerships (PSPs), it allows patients, their carers...

Effects of blast and acoustic trauma: assessment of hearing status on war veterans

Introduction Acoustical conditions of the military are often dangerous and there is a real risk of blast trauma and acoustic trauma [1, 2]. Levels of military noises maybe reach up to 125 dBA [3]. Weapons produce instant shock waves (10μs)...

Musical perception and the brain: In conversation with Charles Limb

One of the unique aspects of BACO 2020 will be a public engagement event. Charles Limb, an esteemed guest lecturer from San Francisco, will delve deep into the neurological experience of music. Who better than our very own Declan Costello...

What can be done to encourage training doctors to pursue a career in paediatric ENT?

Paediatric ENT is often considered the ‘Cinderella’ subspeciality within otolaryngology. There are efforts in the UK and overseas to redress the balance. Paediatric ENT is a specialised field that addresses the unique needs of children with otolaryngological disorders. Despite its...

Benchmarking for innovation in healthcare ­– an approach from 
Down Under and a gap in the 
National Health Service?

Benchmarking is a process of comparison between the performance characteristics of separate, often competing, organisations intended to enable each participant to improve its own performance [1]. Often, in healthcare, benchmarking is carried out by central government departments or regional agencies...