Changing Knowledge, Principles, and Technology in Contemporary Clinical Audiological Practice: A Narrative Review

The field of audiology as a collection of auditory science knowledge, research, and clinical methods, technologies, and practices has seen great changes. A deeper understanding of psychological, cognitive, and behavioural interactions has led to a growing range of variables of interest to measure an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical medicine 2024-08, Vol.13 (15), p.4538
Main Authors: Brice, Sophie, Zakis, Justin, Almond, Helen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Audiology
Audiometry
Automation
Clinical practice guidelines
Forecasts and trends
Hearing aids
Hearing loss
Knowledge
Patient-centered care
Practice
Rehabilitation
Technological change
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Summary:The field of audiology as a collection of auditory science knowledge, research, and clinical methods, technologies, and practices has seen great changes. A deeper understanding of psychological, cognitive, and behavioural interactions has led to a growing range of variables of interest to measure and track in diagnostic and rehabilitative processes. Technology-led changes to clinical practices, including teleaudiology, have heralded a call to action in order to recognise the role and impact of autonomy and agency on clinical practice, engagement, and outcomes. Advances in and new information on loudness models, tinnitus, psychoacoustics, deep neural networks, machine learning, predictive and adaptive algorithms, and PREMs/PROMs have enabled innovations in technology to revolutionise clinical principles and practices for the following: (i) assessment, (ii) fitting and programming of hearing devices, and (iii) rehabilitation. This narrative review will consider how the rise of teleaudiology as a growing and increasingly fundamental element of contemporary adult audiological practice has affected the principles and practices of audiology based on a new era of knowledge and capability. What areas of knowledge have grown? How has new knowledge shifted the priorities in clinical audiology? What technological innovations have been combined with these to change clinical practices? Above all, where is hearing loss now consequently positioned in its journey as a field of health and medicine?
ISSN:2077-0383
2077-0383
DOI:10.3390/jcm13154538