Biomedical subjects

Theresa Hnath Chisolm

Publications and source records attributed to Theresa Hnath Chisolm.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Computerized dynamic visual acuity with volitional head movement in patients with vestibular dysfunction.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with uncompensated vestibular dysfunction frequently report blurred vision during head movement, a symptom termed oscillopsia. One way to measure the functional deficit associated with an impaired vestibulo-ocular reflex is by comparing visual acuity from a baseline condition in which there is no head movement to visual acuity obtained during a dynamic condition with head movement. A previously described test incorporated a treadmill upon which patients walked during assessment of visual acuity. The objective of the current investigation was to evaluate an alternative method of assessing dynamic visual acuity that uses volitional head movement instead of walking on a treadmill. METHODS: Fifteen participants with normal vestibular function and 16 participants with impaired vestibular function were enrolled. All participants performed the visual acuity task under baseline conditions with no movement and also under dynamic conditions that included 1) walking on a treadmill and 2) volitionally moving their head in the vertical plane. RESULTS: No difference in performance was observed between the treadmill task and the volitional head movement task. Participants with impaired vestibular function performed more poorly under the dynamic conditions than did participants with normal vestibular function. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the volitional head movement paradigm may be useful in identification of patients with functional deficits of the vestibulo-ocular reflex.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Doctor of audiology (AuD) program at the University of South Florida.

This article describes the doctor of audiology (AuD) program at the University of South Florida (USF). The USF AuD program has been operational since the fall of 1999 and, to date, 47 students have graduated from either the postbaccalaureate track or the post-master's track. The faculty consists of 9 full-time and 8 part-time adjunct members who provide a curriculum that covers the audiology scope of practice. Being located in a major metropolitan area allows for diverse clinical practicum experiences that result in students being prepared to become autonomous professional practitioners.

Audiology↗

PubMed2004

Short- and long-term outcomes of adult audiological rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVE: To examine short- and long-term subjective benefits of providing a counseling-oriented audiological rehabilitation (AR) program as an adjunct to hearing aid intervention for individuals with adult-onset hearing loss. DESIGN: One hundred six veterans (68 men and 38 women), fit binaurally with digitally programmable analog hearing aids, participated. The Communication Profile for the Hearing Impaired (CPHI; ) was administered to all participants before hearing aid fitting. Half the patients were randomly assigned to receive hearing aids alone (i.e., control); the other patients were assigned to participate in a 4-wk group AR program in conjunction with receiving hearing aids (i.e., HA + AR). At the end of the AR program, the CPHI was again administered to all participants to assess short-term benefit and at 6 mo and 1 yr after hearing aid fitting to assess long-term benefit. RESULTS: A separate repeated-measures version of the general linear model was used to examine short- and long-term benefits for the CPHI factor scores (communication importance, communication performance, adjustment, interaction, and reaction) and for individual importance ratings and scale scores. Hearing aid use improved both short- and long-term self-perception of communication performance, with no additional benefits from participation in the AR program. Consistent with the goals of a counseling-oriented AR program, differential short-term treatment effects were found for communication strategy usage, which led to differential short-term benefits for the interaction and reaction factors. Although failing to reach strict criteria for statistical significance, there was an observable difference in short-term outcomes between the two groups for the adjustment factor, with greater improvements occurring for the HA + AR group. Over the course of the year, benefits measured for the HA + AR group remained stable, whereas scores for the control group continued to increase, resulting in no differences in factor scores between groups at 1 yr after intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The finding of a short-term differential treatment benefit for AR in terms of interaction and reaction, and possibly for adjustment, was important, as better outcomes in these areas may be important in the decision to keep hearing aids. If this is the case, then the data support the inclusion of a counseling-oriented AR program. Differential treatment effects in interaction and reaction appeared to result from communication strategy use, indicating that the AR program is meeting many of its goals in this area. The lack of long-term differential effects appeared as the result of continued changes in adjustment, interaction, and reaction with continued hearing aid experience.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

The aging auditory system: anatomic and physiologic changes and implications for rehabilitation.

Over the last century, research in the area of age-related hearing loss has provided a vast amount of knowledge regarding age-related effects on the anatomy and physiology of the auditory system. As we enter the new millennium, researchers are beginning to shift their attention towards developing methods of modulating the effects of age-related hearing loss and the development of efficacious intervention strategies to meet all of an individual's hearing-related rehabilitative needs. The purpose of this review is to provide a framework for considering how the biological aspects of the aging auditory system interact with the most common current therapeutic intervention for age-related hearing loss--the use of amplification--and also how the biological aspects point to other potential intervention strategies.

Age Factors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

When hearing aids go bad: an FM success story.

Both clinical and research findings support the effectiveness of frequency-modulated (FM) technology among individuals who continue to encounter significant communication problems despite the use of conventional hearing instruments. The use rate of FM devices throughout the nation, however, remains disappointingly low. The authors present a case of a longtime hearing aid user whose hearing aids provided decreasing benefit as his hearing impairment increased to the extent that cochlear implantation was considered. Through the establishment of patient-specific treatment goals, the provision of appropriate FM technology as verified through real-ear measurements, and careful and deliberate counseling and follow-up, this patient was able to realize significant communication benefits as reported through several self-assessment measures. The cost-benefit implications of FM technology versus cochlear implantation are discussed.

Aged↗