You searched for "assistive"

1133 results found

Opening ceremonies – a necessary evil?

This series of stories is dedicated to those of you with whom some of these moments were shared (or endured) and, above all, to my amazing and long-suffering husband, David Howard. Most of you know him as an exceptional head...

APSCI 2025

Dr Nur Shasa Ain Abdul Aziz, Global Ambasador for Malaysia 15th Asia Pacific Symposium on Cochlear Implants and Related Sciences (APSCI) 2025, held in Kuala Lumpur in November, marked a proud milestone for Malaysia as the Asia Pacific cochlear implant...

Young CEORL-HNS: growing a pan-European ENT network

We are seeing a growth in the number of organisations supporting young ENT surgeons. Young CEORL-HNS is a thriving and expanding group. The Young Confederation of European ORL-HNS (Y-CEORL) was created with a simple idea in mind: to give young...

A ‘Quiet Night Out’ for Tinnitus Week 2026

Tinnitus UK has announced a unique evening of music, spoken word and comedy designed with safe listening at its core. Taking place at London’s iconic Union Chapel on Thursday 5 February, the event will raise awareness during Tinnitus Week 2026 and champion the importance of hearing health.

The process of medical innovation

You’ve got an amazing idea for a new device. It is going to change how your speciality of surgery is practised. It will lead to better operative results and lower risks to patients – that’s amazing, can I see it?...

From aaargh to zzzzz: the ABC of paediatric anaesthesia

Andrew McTavish is one of those special breeds who not only relishes complex anaesthesia, but also does so in paediatric patients. Dealing with this group of patients requires careful planning according to accepted practice, and here he discusses some recent...

Hidden hearing loss in humans

Awareness of cochlear synaptopathy (‘hidden hearing loss’) is growing. Chris Plack gives us an introduction to the condition, defining it and reviewing recent research in humans and animals with respect to noise exposure. The main cause of hearing loss is...

Quality of life after cochlear implantation in the older population

Cochlear implants (CI) have been increasingly adopted in older adults with severe to profound hearing loss as a result of the growing and ageing world population. There is much interest in the cost-effectiveness and quality of life in CI users....

Does septoplasty improve smell?

This is a study from Barcelona on a very interesting topic: does septoplasty change sense of smell? The theory being that a deviated septum would prevent airflow to the olfactory region and once the anatomical obstruction has been relieved, that...

Blood-sampling prognostic predictors for Bell’s palsy

Bell’s palsy is generally defined as an acute-onset unilateral idiopathic mononeuropathy in the facial nerve. It is of unknown aetiology, however, inflammation is considered a major cause. Electroneurography assessing nerve excitability is the most reliable examination for predicting prognosis of...

Surgery plus radiotherapy keeps the helical keloid scar away

Keloid scars lead to significant psychological and cosmetic morbidity. As the pinna is a key component of facial cosmesis, pinna keloid scar formation can be aesthetically displeasing. Their stubbornness and high recurrence rate can be challenging to treat. This department,...

Cognition and hearing – you can’t test one with the other!

Cognitive Psychologist, Boaz M Ben-David, provides insights into the import of considering cognitive factors when assessing speech perception ability to maximise intervention success. Failing to do so, he suggests, is “ageist”, a predisposition healthcare professionals must avoid. Cognitive performance is...