Search

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...

Help shape the future of mild to moderate hearing loss research

A James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership has been formed to help shape the future of research into mild-moderate hearing loss. Who is the Priority Setting Partnership? The Partnership brings together Hearing Link, Action on Hearing Loss, the British Society...

Hearing loss and Alport syndrome

Alport syndrome (AS) includes a group of hereditary diseases caused by mutations in the COL4A3, COL4A4 or COL4A5 genes. These genes are responsible for the biosynthesis of α3, α4 and α5 collagen IV chains, which are located in the glomerular...

The impact of hearing loss in children with Down syndrome

Hearing loss and language development Down syndrome (DS) usually arises due to trisomy 21 and is associated with intellectual disability and risks of developmental delays and difficulties, including hearing loss. Hearing loss is common in children with DS [1]. In...

The Veterans Hearing Fund

Dawn Bramham introduces us to the newly launched Veterans Hearing Fund (VHF). This organisation aims to improve the lives of military personnel with hearing loss by providing access to technologies, services and bespoke rehabilitation that are not routinely available via...

Kuduwave™ testing aboard the ISS

What does it take to make an audiometer and tympanometry ready for the space age? In a recent interview, Jillian Scotland and Dirk Koekemoer shared their first-hand experience of getting the Kuduwave ready for a voyage to the ISS. It...

Grasping opportunities and taking chances: an accidental journey to the perfect destination

Here, Jonathan Parsons tells us more about his journey from clinical audiologist to setting up a social enterprise in the National Health Service. My route to Exeter and to a social enterprise has had several twists and turns and not...

Tish Gaffney – AAA President

From a sunny Southend, UK, Gareth Smith takes 10 minutes to dial into the Sunshine State, USA, and catch up with Tish Gaffney for a lightning-speed chat on the movements and motivations of the 35th president of the American Academy...

High intensity, high impact: tackling waiting lists one HIT at a time

A monthly high intensity theatre list in Sheffield shows how smart planning, teamwork and focus can dramatically reduce long ENT waiting lists. Finally, after many years of training, I’ve started my first consultant post – only to become part of...

Endoscopic middle ear surgery for cholesteatoma treatment

A critical question when any new technique is proposed is ‘does it work?’ In this article Daniele Marchioni and Davide Soloperto discuss the success rates of endoscopic ear surgery for cholesteatoma. Introduction Surgical management of cholesteatoma is still a controversial...