Author: Christa Nuber

The American Academy of Otolaryngology Publishes Update to BPPV Treatment Guideline

The American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation published the Clinical Practice Guideline: Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (Update) March 1 in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the Academy announced in a release. The updated guideline reportedly provides evidence-based recommendations for healthcare providers on diagnosis and treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) as well as answers to frequently asked questions about BPPV.

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Elite 2017 Business Summit Elevates Independents in Era of Disruptive Change

This year’s Summit theme was “Elevate Your Independence,” focusing on how independent hearing care professionals can succeed in an era of disruptive technology, distribution, and what may ultimately be a new regulatory environment. Included in the Summit’s General Session was a historical perspective on the current over-the-counter device proposals, as well as a review of a recent pilot study that supports professionally dispensed hearing aids over OTC.

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Teleaudiology: Friend or Foe in the Consumerism of Hearing Healthcare?

The new generation of consumers of healthcare—including hearing healthcare—are open to new ways of engaging with providers, including telehealth. Although providers have concerns in this area, advances in technology point inescapably toward incorporating aspects of telehealth in hearing healthcare. This article by David Fabry, PhD, and Jennifer Groth, MA, considers how the trend toward consumerism in hearing healthcare might interact with other trends, including telehealth.

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2017 Callier Prize Awarded to Sharon Kujawa for Research on Hidden Hearing Loss

Sharon G. Kujawa, an auditory neuroscientist who studies how aging and noise exposure can impact hearing, has been selected to receive the biennial Callier Prize in Communication Disorders for her research into the connections between the hair cells and the nerve fibers (synapses) that are most vulnerable—what is now being referred to as “hidden hearing loss.”

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Call for Nominations: 2017 Oticon Focus on People Awards

Oticon announced that it is seeking nominations of outstanding individuals with any degree of hearing loss for the 2017 Oticon Focus on People Awards. The national awards program—now in its 19th year—honors students, adults, advocacy volunteers, and hearing care professionals who show that hearing loss does not limit a person’s ability to make a positive difference.

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OTC and Observations on the Humes et al Study

Perhaps the most well-read article of 2017 is “The effects of service-delivery model and purchase price on hearing-aid outcomes in older adults: a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial” by Larry Humes and his colleagues at Indiana State University, published in the March 2017 edition of the American Journal of Audiology. Drs Marshall Chasin and Steve Aiken provide their perspectives on this important research.

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