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...

New challenges ahead for the hearing aid industry

Technological advancements empower the world to hear In an increasing age of connectivity, the hearing aid industry is headed into new territory. Previously, to wear hearing aids was simply a mark of ageing. Now hearing aids are smarter and, as...

From Hippocrates to COVID-19: sniffing out the disease

The ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates, used the ‘art of smell’ to diagnose diseases around 400BC. He also formulated miasmatic theory, which posited that disease is caused by bad smells. Bad air was strongly believed by many physicians to be the...

Diaphanoscopy of the paranasal sinuses (Halloween in ENT Practice)

Since time immemorial, humans have tried to enhance the limited capabilities of their sense organs. It would be a clear advantage to be able to see through objects and discern what lies inside or behind them! This concept of transillumination...

Destination unknown

We as doctors do not always know the answer. Associate Professor Jacqueline Allen guides us through the importance of acceptance of this uncertainty and its complex mental journey. She highlights that, as clinicians, we must embrace the unknown and be...

Listening differences in autistic individuals

In this article Erin Schafer, Lauren Mathews and Andrea Dunn outline the common auditory issues that autistic individuals face in comparison with their neurotypical peers and highlight the need to move beyond the traditional audiologic test battery when working with...

Implicit bias in audiology and wider healthcare

What is implicit bias and how might it affect patient outcomes in hearing healthcare? Yovina Khiroya provides insight into the terminology and the effect on people and service delivery. As much as possible within healthcare, we try to reduce implicit...

The mounting burden of hearing loss worldwide: gearing up global collaboration

As audiology and ENT professionals we all have an inkling about the prevalence and impact of hearing loss, but the true gravity of the situation is even greater than previously thought… It may seem hard to believe, but in the...

Public health planning for hearing impairment (2017)

In 2009 Professor Andrew Smith and Dr Daksha Patel identified the need for awareness of public health methods in hearing healthcare planning. In 2010 the first training course was held, and since then 760 health workers from 41 countries have...