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Out of Africa: Audiovannah audiology clinic in Zimbabwe

Audiovannah reception area. In 2015 two Danish audiologists, Jenny Pedersen and Nicolai Pedersen, relocated to Zimbabwe and opened a full service audiology clinic (Audiovannah) in the capital city of Harare. The focus has been to give back as much as...

The art and science of acoustic ecology

Aki Pasoulas summarises the diverse forms and approaches of the relatively new and expanding area of acoustic ecology, a discipline that studies the relationship between living beings and their sonic environment. Sound Ecology emerged in the late 1960s through the...

Development and review of a blended service in response to COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has required healthcare services globally to show both resilience and ingenuity in redesigning services to meet the ever-changing needs of our patients. We hear about the redevelopment of clinical pathways within an hearing implant service, and the...

Microgravity: an extreme environment for otolith organs

Motion sickness in a car can be upsetting for all involved. Transferring this concept into a tiny cabin bound for space could have devastating consequences. Are the processes involved in ‘space motion sickness’ the same as motion sickness? How do...

Ear wax: the good, the bad, and the ugly

With ear wax removal being a core part of ENT and audiology services, Seth Schwartz gives us his dos and don’ts. We have all seen cartoons where a character pulls enough wax out of their ears to make a candle....

Introduction to speech testing

Let’s get back to basics: Dr Schoepflin introduces the concepts behind speech testing for hearing care professionals. While pure tone threshold testing is considered the ‘gold standard’ for assessing auditory sensitivity, the results of pure tone testing provide only limited...

Ear wax removal: should anyone and everyone perform it?

Earwax removal is a controversial and much-debated issue in audiology. Risks and public safety call for reforms, sparking discussion on professional standards. Earwax is a natural secretion produced by the ear. It is an amalgamation of desquamous epithelial skin cells,...

Pioneering standards of aural care in the UK: vision and initiatives of the NACSG

Ear wax removal remains a controversial subject in the UK. How will a strategy group support reform in the sector? Background: elevating standards in aural care The National Aural Care Strategy Group (NACSG) was established to address the multifaceted challenges...

The ENT operating theatre viewed down the retrospectoscope

We learn much of our future by looking at our past; Douglas MacMillan provides us with a fascinating glimpse into his years as a junior doctor. The operating theatre was a somewhat alien environment in the late 1960s: theatre sisters...