Education & Events
by Michaela Coon

AudiologyOnline: The Changing Landscape of Treating Patients with SSD

November 15, 2021
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Two new AudiologyOnline courses are open for registration, Considerations in Treating Adults with UHL/SSD and Considerations in Treating Children with UHL/SSD. These 30-minute live courses will provide clinicians with an overview of Unilateral Hearing Loss (UHL)/ Single Sided Deafness (SSD) in adults/pediatrics and provide an introduction to counseling and treatment. Recordings will be available after the course.

Course 1: Considerations in Treating Adults with UHL/SSD

When: Tuesday, January 18th @ 5pm ET

Presenter: Kevin Brown, PhD

Dr. Brown is the Chief of the Division of Otology/Neurotology and Skull Based Surgery at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and the Medical Director of the Children’s Cochlear Implant Center at UNC. His specialties are otology, neurotology, lateral skull based surgery, acoustic tumors, cochlear implants, and hearing preservation.

Register now!

 Course 2: Considerations in Treating Children with UHL/SSD

When: Monday, December 13th at 12pm ET

Presenter: Samantha Anne, MD

Dr. Anne is a Pediatric Otolaryngologist at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital Head and Neck Institute and is board certified in otolaryngology head and neck surgery, as well as fellowship-trained in pediatric otolaryngology. Dr. Anne is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, as well as the Society of Ear Nose Throat Disorders Affecting Children and the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology. Her specialty interests include cholesteatoma, chronic ear disease, Cochlear Implants, general pediatric otolaryngology, pediatric ear disease, general pediatric otolaryngology, airway stenosis, complex airway management and reconstruction, salivary gland masses and pediatric neck masses, velopharyngeal insufficiency, congenital and malignant head and neck disease, surgical management of chronic sinus disease, larynx and tracheal reconstruction.

Register now!

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HHE

Healthy Hearing Ears: Second online seminar recap

December 6, 2021

By Tine Goossens, AuD PhD, Clinical Marketing Manager – Cochlear CLTD

Background

Chronic otitis media (COM) is one of the most common causes of hearing deprivation globally.1 The Healthy Hearing Ears Initiative was started in 2019 by a global group of ENT surgeons with an expertise in treating COM-related hearing loss. Their mission is to gather clinical evidence to raise awareness, improve patient outcomes and shorten the time to obtaining good hearing outcomes. Given the key role of bone conduction devices in the treatment of COM-related hearing loss, Cochlear strongly supports this initiative.

On October 14th, 2021 the second Healthy Hearing Ears seminar was held online. More than 300 people from across the globe registered for the event, indicating that the topic of COM-related hearing loss is of high interest worldwide. We are pleased to provide you with a short overview of the seminar and to share the recordings.

Seminar Part I – COM research presentations

In the first part of the seminar, Dr. Xabier Altuna (Spain) and Prof. Fazil Necdet Ardiç (Turkey) were invited as guest speakers. Dr. Altuna presented the results from a recently completed multi-center study on quality of life in patients with COM-related hearing loss. Through the COMOT-15 questionnaire, patients reported that hearing loss impacted their quality of life significantly, even more than the chronic infection itself, which highlights the importance of hearing rehabilitation in this patient group.

Prof. Ardiç shared the exciting first outcomes from an ongoing study on the cost-effectiveness of bone conduction hearing devices in patients with COM-related hearing loss. By means of the Client Service Receipt Inventory (CSRI), patients with COM indicated that they had to make multiple visits to different healthcare providers – ENT specialist, audiologist and GP’s – over the follow up period of six months, due to ear infections and/or hearing difficulties. This demonstrates the high health care utilization of patients with COM.

Watch the COM research presentations now!

Seminar Part II – COM case discussions

In the second part of the seminar, the Healthy Hearing Ears Advisory Board joined Dr. Altuna and Prof. Ardiç to discuss treatment options in six COM cases from their clinical practice. The cases covered a wide range of indications, providing the foundation for an interesting, lively discussion and thought-provoking quotes:

“I can do my best ossiculoplasty and I’m going to come up short of a bone conduction hearing device, because you still get a small amount of boost in the sensorineural levels in a lot of patients, even with a Baha 5.”

Dr. Douglas Backous, US

“I think one of the problems that we have is a lack of clear guidelines of ‘when not to do so many surgeries’ and to do just surgeries for the infection and then hearing rehabilitation with bone conduction systems.”

Dr. Rafael Jaramillo, Colombia

“Our experience in the last years is that more and more patients vote for bone conduction hearing devices, especially the transcutaneous solutions because it gives them a very high chance of hearing improvement and you have no problems with the ear canal which you might have with conventional hearing aids.”

Prof. Thomas Lenarz, Germany

During the case discussions, the lack of awareness surrounding bone conduction hearing devices among primary care practitioners and ENT specialists was raised and the topic of reimbursement*, which both hamper the uptake of bone conduction hearing devices in hearing rehabilitation. This, in turn, motivated the panel members to highlight the need for clinical evidence on bone conduction hearing devices in patients with COM-related hearing loss.

Watch the COM case discussions!

Visit the HHE website to read more about the initiative, sign up to be notified of upcoming seminars, clinical studies and new publications.

Reference:

  1. Acuin J. Chronic suppurative otitis media: burden of illness and management options. Geneva (CH): World Healthy Organization; 2004.

*Otologic Management Services (OMS) is a no-charge service available from Cochlear. OMS helps patients and providers obtain necessary insurance coverage and assistance in appealing denied coverage for Nucleus ® cochlear implant systems and Baha® bone conduction systems. Contact OMS@cochlear.com for more information.

Cochlear Foundation launches global partnership with Malala Fund to remove hearing loss as a barrier to education

September 22, 2021

September 22, 2021, United States. Malala Fund and hearing health not-for-profit Cochlear Foundation have partnered to raise awareness about the barriers keeping millions of children and young people with hearing loss from accessing a quality education.

According to the World Health Organization, 34 million children around the world live with disabling hearing loss1. Without equal access to a quality education and early access to hearing healthcare and support these children may not realize their full potential.

In response, the world’s youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate and co-founder of Malala Fund, Malala Yousafzai, called for societies and governments to prioritize hearing health across the life-course in a personal foreword for the World Health Organization’s first-ever World Report on Hearing, in March 2021.

Following this important step, Malala Fund and Cochlear Foundation, supported by Cochlear, sought to ensure hearing loss is not yet another reason girls, marginalized people and those who need hearing healthcare and support are left behind.

“My hope is that all girls can have equal opportunities and that we ensure a world where every girl can have access to free, safe and quality education,” said Malala Yousafzai. “Hearing loss doesn’t need to be an obstacle to education.”

If children with hearing loss do not receive hearing healthcare and support early, they often experience lower school performance, higher risk of dropping out of school, and less likelihood of accessing higher education. Ultimately, this can impact their lifelong career prospects.2

This problem is exacerbated in many parts of the world where millions of children — especially girls — already face significant barriers to education.3

Cochlear Foundation Chairperson Professor Anne Simmons said hearing loss was a global issue that requires greater awareness and a global solution.

“Malala Fund and Cochlear Foundation’s missions are connected by a desire for children around the world – including those with hearing loss – to access education and embrace all of life’s opportunities.

“Cochlear Foundation is committed to supporting organizations and programs that enrich the lives of people with hearing loss and their communities, increase research into hearing loss and support hearing health professionals.”

Malala Fund and Cochlear Foundation are inviting children and young people with hearing loss to share their stories of personal achievement as part of the ‘Achieve anything program.’ This new program will highlight and publicly recognize their real-world experiences of hearing loss to promote their equal rights to an education and early access to hearing healthcare and support.

“Education for girls can transform lives, communities, countries and our world — but right now more than 130 million girls are out of school. We welcome this partnership with the Cochlear Foundation and together we hope to raise awareness about the challenges girls, including those with hearing loss, face and drive more people to join our movement for education and equality,” said Suzanne Ehlers, CEO of Malala Fund.

Cochlear CEO and President Dig Howitt said this partnership supported Cochlear’s mission to help more people to hear and experience life’s opportunities.

“Two years ago, I hosted a group of children with hearing loss at a special event where Malala spoke. She is a role model whose incredible story of courage and determination inspired this group as it inspires people around the world. Malala speaking about her own experience will change lives by raising the confidence and self-esteem of a generation of girls and young people with hearing loss.

“Cochlear supports Malala Fund’s goals of equality for girls and believes all children should have equal access to education. I also hope this important partnership will help raise awareness of the need for governments and societies to prioritize hearing health so more children and adults with hearing loss can connect with life’s opportunities.”

Visit www.cochlearfoundation.org to learn more about the partnership and how to submit stories to the ‘Achieve anything program’.

About Malala Fund

Malala Fund is working for a world where all girls can learn and lead. Malala Fund advocates for resources and policy changes needed to give all girls a secondary education, invests in local education leaders and amplifies the voices of girls fighting for change. Learn more at malala.org. 

About Cochlear Foundation

Cochlear Foundation is a hearing health not-for-profit, supported by Cochlear, which aims to raise awareness of hearing loss and help more people around the world access life-changing hearing treatment. We envision a world where anyone, anywhere with hearing loss can live a life full of opportunities. To achieve this, we advance research in hearing treatment, encourage the skill development of healthcare professionals, and support community efforts towards inclusivity. www.cochlearfoundation.org

About Cochlear Limited

Cochlear is the global leader in implantable hearing solutions. The company has a global workforce of more than 4,000 people and invests more than AUD$180 million each year in research and development. Products include cochlear implants, bone conduction implants and acoustic implants, which healthcare professionals use to treat a range of moderate to profound types of hearing loss. Since 1981, Cochlear has provided more than 650,000 implantable devices, helping people of all ages, in more than 180 countries, to hear. www.cochlear.com

References  

  1. World Health Organization. Factsheet: deafness and hearing loss. Available here: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss
  2. World Report on Hearing, World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/world report on hearing
  3. UNICEF, Gender equality in education benefits every child, https://www.unicef.org/education/girls-education

The relationship between Malala Fund and Cochlear Foundation is described as a “partnership” for convenience and does not constitute a legal partnership, joint venture, agency, employment or any other relationship by which either party may become liable for the acts or omissions of the other.

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This material is intended for health professionals. If you are a consumer, please seek advice from your health professional about treatments for hearing loss. Outcomes may vary, and your health professional will advise you about the factors which could affect your outcome. Always read the instructions for use. Not all products are available in all countries. Please contact your local Cochlear representative for product information.

 

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