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Prophylactic swallowing exercises in head and neck cancer

Clinicians working in head and neck cancer will be familiar with the increased interest in prophylactic swallowing exercises to reduce the devastating impact of dysphagia experienced by patients undergoing radiation or chemo-radiation therapy. This study from Denmark is one of...

Person-centred care, enhancing audiology student understanding across the globe

Over 200 students registered for a multinational virtual event facilitated by the Ida Institute. The aim was to determine levels of student understanding and approaches to person-centred care (PCC), alongside the opportunity to evaluate the benefits of this approach to...

Adjuvant radiotherapy for T4N0 laryngeal cancers treated with laryngectomy

A total laryngectomy remains the gold standard for the initial treatment of advanced (T4) squamous cell carcinomas of the larynx without evidence of distant disease. Adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) is also recommended for such cancers. In the absence of other adverse...

Sleep apnoea got your heart in your throat? Perhaps it’s time to ditch the CPAP and fetch the scalpel

The link between obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is clear. Its well-established association with essential hypertension is thought to link OSA to an increased risk of atherosclerotic and hypertensive sequelae. However, data on the long-term impact of...

Translanguaging: an integrated and culturally valid approach for speech and language therapy practice

This study advocates the need for speech and language therapists to understand and advocate for translanguaging practices within their day-to-day clinical work with children with communication difficulties. Translanguaging derives from the Welsh term ‘trawsiethu’, which was first introduced in 1994...

How quality improvement helped to create local guidelines for good tracheostomy care

Significant morbidity and mortality is associated with tracheostomy insertion. A complex, multistep process exists to help patients towards decannulation. This process is often complicated by patient comorbidities, discontinuity of care and communication as patients move through hospital, and variable experience...

Medicine and Seamus Heaney

Seamus Heaney grew up in the 1940s. Infectious diseases – diphtheria, poliomyelitis, mumps, measles and rubella – were rife. Stepping Stones recalled talk among older neighbours of ‘a-waiting on’ when they were close to death. Aunts and uncles succumbed to...