Research funding reports from communication sciences and disorders programs.

The consensus statement published by the German Society for Phoniatry and Paedaudiology in the year 2000 has been revised and actualized. The revised version takes into account current scientific and clinical findings. Aspects of the definition of auditory processing disorders (APD) are described extensively. These include symptoms, anamnestic information and diagnostic steps (preliminary examinations, subjective and objective audiological procedures). APD can appear in different forms, some of which can be classified within subtypes. Furthermore, factors which need to be considered in order to differentiate between APD and other diseases are specified. Therapeutic intervention possibilities which are rated according to their prognostic values conclude the article.

Audiology↗

PubMed2006

Health care quality and safety issues.

Our health-care system is burdened with high costs, health-care disparities, overtreatment, undertreatment, high error rates, and fraud and abuse. At the same time, the United States has achieved spectacular medical advances using the latest technology. As a result, health-care quality measurement, publicly reported patient safety and quality indicators, and evaluation of patients' experience of care are watchwords of a new era of accountability for health-care professionals and organizations. The health-care industry is subject to increasing regulation, private sector challenges, and public demand to make significant improvements in all three components of the quality triad: structure, process, and outcome. This article examines regulatory initiatives and industry trends pertaining to patient safety and quality measurement and concludes with specific suggestions for the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology.

Audiology↗

PubMed2006

Audiology in South Africa.

Audiology in South Africa is an established profession facing the challenge of serving a diverse population in predominantly developing contexts. The profession has developed over the last half century from an adjunct to speech-language pathology into a profession in its own right. Several tertiary institutions offer undergraduate training in audiology with optional postgraduate qualifications. Institutions are continually adapting to a profession characterised by rapid change--evidenced even in the very composition of the profession itself. This article aims to provide an overview of the development and current status of audiology as a profession in South Africa.

Audiology↗