Audiology First actively contributes to audiological research.
We believe that researchers make great clinicians.
Our research may one day lead to better treatments for hearing loss and tinnitus.
Research is an important part of what we do at Audiology First. It also makes us very different to other hearing care clinics in Alberta.
As trained audiologists, we believe that evidence based practice results in better results for our clients and patients.
We encourage our clinicians to investigate current scientific literature and developments in audiological science, and to help improve understanding and management of unique clinical cases.
We discuss challenging clinical cases as a group at regular intervals, and collaborate with experts in our field to support our clinical decisions.
In association with the neuroscience department at the University of Lethbridge, Audiology First has undertaken two significant formal research projects to date.
These are listed below.
Our findings demonstrated the effect of long-term noise exposure on the acceleration of a significant age related hearing loss, loss of speech recognition, surge in tinnitus prevalence, and changes in eardrum structure-function.
This study provided important information on additional signs that noise exposure may have played a role in hearing loss
The findings of this study were in support of accumulative evidence indicating the adverse auditory and non-auditory effects of chronic noise exposure, including exacerbated sound intolerance and tinnitus-related psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety and depression. The results also showed that tinnitus alone can affect mental health regardless of hearing loss.