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European funding for the tinnitus research network TINNET

Over 70 million people in Europe experience tinnitus, and for seven million it creates a debilitating condition. Severe tinnitus is often associated with depression, anxiety and insomnia, resulting in an enormous socio-economic impact [1]. It has been estimated that 13...

Access to and uptake of cochlear implants in the UK

Assessing demands on cochlear implant (CI) services is very important for both commissioners and clinicians in anticipating clinical need and funding requirements. Commercial CI’s were introduced in the late 1980s. Initial funding was from charitable sources. The first major advance...

Screening for hearing loss in primary care

Hearing impairment is one physical disability that is increasing in prevalence in society in general, and in older adults in particular. Approximately 34 to 36 million Americans report suffering from some degree of hearing impairment with the number rising to...

Adult hearing screenings has counselling opportunities

Adult hearing screening has its challenges, particularly time constraints. Because the process itself is brief, we could efficiently screen dozens of adults per hour; at events such as health fairs, it’s tempting to march people through screenings as quickly as...

The role of metrics in studies of hearing and cognition

Introduction When perceiving sounds in real-world listening environments, older adults encounter several sources of degradation that can interfere with the perceptual process (Figure 1). Target signals (i.e. the sounds that a listener wants to focus on) have specific acoustic characteristics...

Prudent audiology

Introduction In January 2014, Professor Mark Drakeford, Minister for Health and Social Services, defined Prudent Healthcare as, “Healthcare that fits the needs and circumstances of patients and actively avoids wasteful care that is not to the patient’s benefit.” ‘Prudent’ healthcare...

Tinnitus in middle-age: prevalence and incidence

Population-based studies of tinnitus provide crucial underpinning evidence which highlights the need for further research on the effective diagnosis and clinical management of this heterogenous condition. Furthermore, such studies provide evidence of the burden of this condition both on the...