Journal Reviews
Robot-assisted paediatric cochlear implantation
Cochlear implantation has a recognised therapeutic role in children with severe to profound hearing loss. The surgery requires expertise in learning the technical skill together with adaptation to variation in anatomy. There is growing interest in healthcare to integrate robotic...
Why are we here?
This small study, based on 10 semi-structured interviews, clearly highlights the importance of the audiologist’s role at a pivotal stage of educational and social transition. The interviews explored themes including deaf identity and connections, self-acceptance, preparation for further education and...
To question or not to question
Misophonia is a complex condition in which individuals experience a strong negative emotional response to specific sounds, such as chewing, breathing, swallowing or foot tapping. These reactions are not primarily determined by the volume of the sound. Although relatively few...
How do you know what you don’t know?
Auditory processing disorder (APD) has been a subject for discussion for the last 20 years. Though the body of research is growing, it still lacks cohesive diagnostic and management criteria. Similar surveys on APD have taken place in other countries....
ADHEAR in the paediatric population
ADHEAR is a non-surgical bone conduction device (BCD) available from Med-El from 2017. It uses an adhesive adapter consisting of a soft rubber pad with a centre rigid plate that has a snap coupling for attachment of a sound processor....
Where is that sound? Not every hot tub is a jacuzzi
Evidence suggests that the incidence of sound sensitivity and general noise intolerance is increasing. Studies have suggested that the incidence of hyperacusis is between 8% and 15.2% of the adult population. There is a correlation between the prevalence of hyperacusis...
Early hearing loss detection in low-resource school settings
This review summarises a narrative article examining why childhood hearing loss in low- and middle-income nations remains widely undiagnosed, and outlines strategies to improve detection. The authors highlight that although childhood hearing loss is highly prevalent and clinically significant, many...
Starry eyed?
Attentive listening and active listening skills suggest that eye movement is an important factor in subject engagement. Indeed, when asked, AI suggests gaze is held for 70% of the time when listening. Although the route of this percentage is unclear,...
Keep on moving
This study compared the differences in localisation of sound between those with symmetrical hearing within normal limits (NH) and those with single-sided deafness (SSD). Unsurprisingly, those with SSD took longer to localise sounds and had a higher error rate. Although...
The cocktail party conundrum
I feel, with slight sadness and disappointment, that a good cocktail party, dresses, punch bowls and all is not currently in its heyday and, therefore, opportunity of attending is slim. However, from what I remember, they tend to be a...
Expectations and practice
Reading this paper is reassuring. It does not appear to be groundbreaking in its results but research can be as useful, if not more so, when it consolidates knowledge and helps unify the research base. This paper focuses on those...
Family-centred early hearing detection and intervention
This mixed-methods study provides important insight into how caregivers in South Africa experience early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) services. Using both survey data and narrative interviews, the authors explore how well current services reflect the principles of family-centred early...
