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Hearing aids 2019: today’s technology

High-end or basic hearing aids: does the technology level make a difference? Catherine Palmer shares the current evidence base and suggests where hearing healthcare professionals can make the most impact. The most common complaint from individuals with mild-to-moderately severe hearing...

Deaf identity in audiology services: exploring the significance and implications

Dr Celia Hulme, a culturally Deaf * sign language user, draws from her personal experience and extensive PhD research on Deaf signers’ experiences with audiology services. *In this article, the convention of using an uppercase ‘D’ is used to denote...

Development of the iAudiometer™

Why the iAudiometer™? We have developed six versions of a new software called iAudiometer™ that performs an array of different audiometric tests using an iPad with standard transducers (TDH-39 headphones, B-71 BC, aural domes, or inserts) (Figure 1; Table 1)....

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?...

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...

Patient-centred audiological rehabilitation: facilitating and hindering factors for implementation

Introduction Patient-centred care in the health sector is a worldwide concern [1, 2]. Patient-centred rehabilitation is characterised by availability, appropriateness, preference, and timelines [3]. A consensus report by the Institute of Medicine [4] defines a patient-centred approach as ‘providing care...

How entrepreneurs can integrate hearables into their clinic

Brian Taylor provides an interesting perspective on market segmentation of the hearing impaired population, and how as clinicians and entrepreneurs we need to be able to recognise the different approaches that are required to address the large percentage of the...

Building sound: from Stonehenge to a Symphony Hall

Modern architecture can use scientific techniques to shape room acoustics and create great sounding places. Professor Trevor Cox discusses our ancestors’ understanding of the importance of building techniques to enhance acoustics from Stonehenge to a Symphony Hall. Going to an...

In space no-one can hear you scream…or can they?

Plasma, eardrums the size of planets and questioning the wisdom of your school physics teacher! Martin Archer explains the fascinating world of sound and space. Is there sound in space? If you believed the marketing of the movie Alien, or...