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Coalition for Global Hearing Health

World Hearing Day 2023

Written by Jackie Clark

The Coalition is proud to support the World Hearing Day by administering the CGHH-WHO Small Grant Program as well as the official registration and reporting website (worldhearingday.org). 

Last year we processed reports for 511 activities in 84 countries around the globe. With support from the WHO, European Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association, and the House Ear Foundation we awarded over $32,000 in small grant support last year.

We are looking forward to World Hearing Day 2023 with a focus on Ear and Hearing Care for the Primary Care Provider. Start planning your activities today!

Advocacy & Media

Software in the Healthcare Industry

Written by Katherine Callahan

If the need for comprehensive healthcare software solutions existed before COVID-19 ravaged the globe, today, it has become critical (and urgent). In the weeks and months following the onset of the pandemic, hospitals and medical services have turned to technology to facilitate diagnosis, provide online medication refills, treatment, and patient management.

A hospital’s EHR system needs to be ready and able to support these workflows without adding additional stress or burden to the already overburdened staff caring for patients during a time of crisis / emergency operations mode, this is why the use of software like an Electronic Health Record EMR Software is so beneficial. From transforming health management to drastically reducing the number of errors and mistakes that affect hospitals and practices every day of the year – there is simply no room for error when it comes to patient health and care.

Medical practice management software offers many rich benefits to users looking to accelerate their digital migration ambitions including:

• Reducing administrative overheads through automation of routine tasks

• Increasing efficiency by streamlining workflow processes and improving communication between departments and staff teams within organizations as well as with external stakeholders such as patients and insurance companies.

• Improving patient outcomes by reducing medical errors and increasing the accuracy of clinical documentation and reporting using real-time information exchange systems to improve collaboration across facilities and services within the healthcare system.

Just like healthcare report errors, the realm of pharmaceutical mixing also encounters its own set of challenges. Whether in pharmaceuticals or chemical manufacturing, organizations seek to optimize their processes, and software solutions like those offered at https://visimix.com play a pivotal role. the benefits of software for industrial mixing, including increased efficiency, reduced errors, and enhanced collaboration, make it a compelling prospect for organizations striving for precision and excellence in their mixing processes.

While the benefits of adopting an electronic health record software are clear and compelling for healthcare organizations of all sizes in the public and private sectors alike – there remains a significant challenge in terms of adoption rates and the successful implementation of new solutions at scale across the entire healthcare sector worldwide due to a variety of factors ranging from a lack of resources to support large-scale implementations through to concerns about data security and regulatory concerns around data ownership and sharing when exchanging patient data between different healthcare facilities or services within a single organization.

One of the key benefits of electronic health records is their ability to integrate with other medical technologies and devices, such as browse scales, which can help healthcare professionals accurately monitor and track patients’ weight and other vital signs in real-time. By incorporating such devices into an EHR system, healthcare providers can ensure that they have access to up-to-date information on their patient’s health and well-being, which can help them to make better-informed decisions about treatment plans and care options. To learn more about how EHRs can benefit your organization and help you to improve patient outcomes, visit website today.

Given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the impact of the coronavirus on the global economy and its impact on the healthcare industry in particular over the coming months and beyond as governments around the world implement measures to contain the spread of the virus and reduce its impact on the population at large while limiting the number of casualties and economic losses that arise from the outbreak of the disease and the associated economic fallout caused by reduced consumer spending and reduced demand for goods and services in the wider economy as a whole as a result of social distancing restrictions and other containment efforts designed to slow the rate of infection and slow the rate at which new cases of the disease are diagnosed and treated in hospitals and medical institutions across the country and around the world – now is the perfect time to invest in a comprehensive solution that will streamline your operations and enhance your patient care capabilities both now and in the future as the recovery process begins.

Advocacy & Media, Best Practices, Technology

Hearing Health in the Elderly

Written by Katherine Callahan

There are many causes of age-related hearing loss. Most commonly, it arises from changes in the inner ear as we age, (known as sensorineural or “nerve deafness”) which is usually followed by additional loss in the mid-ear and outer ear as the years progress usually resulting in a complete inability to hear in unaided conditions by the age of about sixty-five years old in all but a minority of cases who either wear hearing aids or have cochlear implants.

Hearing loss can also be caused by viral or bacterial infections, heart conditions or stroke. Certain medications can also lead to deafness if not monitored closely by a doctor and swallowed as directed; this is known as ototoxicity when medication-induced hearing loss occurs from drugs not meant for otologic purposes but which have negative effects on the hearing system including the cochlea and the auditory nerve pathways to the brain, this is mainly important to know when patients stay at a memory care community, it’s essential to always ask the caregiver to monitor all the medication.

As age-related hearing loss is a common occurrence among the elderly population, it highlights the need for elderly care facilities that cater to the specific needs of the elderly population. Facilities like https://hollyhall.org/ offer various amenities, including hearing aid support, that help to ensure a comfortable and safe living environment for seniors with hearing loss. With trained staff and specialized care programs, elderly care facilities can provide personalized care for elderly patients and ensure that their needs are met. In this way, they can improve the quality of life for the elderly and provide them with a safe and nurturing environment to thrive.

Age-related hearing loss most often occurs in both ears, affecting them equally. The effects of age-related changes in the ear also can appear in different combinations for different people: loss of hearing in one frequency or in both; difficulty understanding high-pitched sounds versus low-pitched ones or those intelligibly heard only in the distance as opposed to those overheard by one’s conversation partner at arm’s length away. Hearing loss due to age is much more common than permanent deafness (acquired before one reaches adulthood) and typically affects people in their later years of life over a range of ages between around late 40s to early 80s depending on gender and personal predispositions.

If you know of an elderly who has difficulty hearing, we suggest to visit a Hearing Care Professional to see what solutions are available. Although hearing loss with age is inevitable, there are some steps you can take to prevent your hearing loss from getting worse. 92% of those experiencing some form of hearing impairment are above the age of sixty years old and this can largely be attributed to years of exposure to loud noises. Make sure you get regular physical examinations from your general practitioner as different medical conditions can have an adverse effect on your sense of sound especially as we age and our immune system weakens as we become less active. For senior with disabilities, investing in a hospital bed can provide enhanced comfort and support. For further information on hospital beds, click now.

Advocacy & Media, Best Practices, Education & Training

Kidney disease and the Alport syndrome

Written by Katherine Callahan

The relationship between kidney function and hearing loss has long been recognized. Reduced kidney function is independently associated with hearing loss. Testing for hearing should be included in the integrated management of patients with chronic kidney disease. When kidneys are damaged, the kidneys’ ability to filter waste from the blood is reduced; this can lead to fluid retention in the body (edema) or to kidney failure itself and since the kidneys are responsible for helping to filter waste out of our bodies, those complications can be messy – even dangerous.

When it comes to kidney disease and its potential impact on various parts of the body, including the ears, the consequences can be far-reaching. Kidney disease has the potential to cause changes in blood pressure, affecting blood flow through the inner ear and leading to symptoms such as tinnitus, dizziness, and even vertigo. These sensations can be not only alarming but also debilitating. Seeking medical advice on this matter would reveal that the kidneys share similarities with the cochlea’s stria vascularis in terms of physiology, ultrastructure, and antigens. This implies that kidney disease has the potential to damage the delicate hair cells inside the ear responsible for converting sound vibrations into nerve impulses sent to the brain. Hence, it becomes crucial to pay attention to overall health and seek timely medical assistance. In urgent situations or for routine check-ups, clinics like Auburndale urgent care center can play a vital role in identifying diseases faster and ensuring proper management for a healthier future. By entrusting your well-being to trusted healthcare professionals, you can proactively safeguard your health and well-being, allowing you to live life to the fullest.

Also, Kidney disease can also cause changes in blood pressure which can affect blood flow through the inner ear causing tinnitus and/or dizziness or even lead to vertigo – a spinning sensation that can be frightening and even debilitating at times! If you asked a medical professional about the kidneys and the ears, they would tell you that “the kidneys share physiologic, ultrastructural and antigenic similarities with the stria vascularis of the cochlea.” So what does that mean? It means that when kidney disease occurs there is the potential for damage to the tiny hair cells inside the ear that help us hear by converting sound vibrations into nerve impulses which are then sent to the brain.

Alport syndrome is a disease that damages the tiny blood vessels in your kidneys. It can lead to kidney disease and kidney failure. It can also cause hearing loss and problems within the eyes (retinopathy), which may lead to blindness if left untreated or poorly treated for a long time. Alport syndrome is an inherited disease, which means it is passed down through families. The cause of this disease is unknown but researchers believe it may be caused by a mutation in the COL4A5 gene located on chromosome Xq22-23 on the X chromosomes. With all types of Alport syndrome, the kidneys are affected.

They become scarred from tiny blood vessel damage that causes them to leak protein into the urine and blood plasma resulting in kidney damage and failure over time if not properly managed and treated early with medications and other options. These options can slow the progression of the disease and help control symptoms like high blood pressure in some patients; however they do not cure it or prevent it from getting worse in the future even with treatment and proper management of the disease. Many people with Alport syndrome also have hearing problems and abnormalities with their eyes.

Kidney function declines slowly over years to decades as the small vessels of the glomeruli are damaged and the filtering units fail to work properly and eventually the kidney function becomes so poor that the GFR falls below normal levels for age due to scarring of these structures and loss of functioning nephrons leading to end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis or a renal-kidney transplant (learn about renal transplants here) for survival in most cases as the body can no longer filter the blood effectively on its own without these organs working normally to filter blood and remove waste products from the blood and body tissues.

Your healthcare professional will have to watch your signs, symptoms, and look at your family history to know if you have Alport syndrome. Blood tests and other lab tests may be done to help diagnose this condition and determine its severity and its progression to determine treatment options to help manage and control the symptoms and slow the progress of the disease and complications of the condition as they occur to prevent complications from becoming worse and prevent further damage to the affected organ systems of the body if possible to slow progression of this disorder as much as possible for as long as possible depending on the severity of each case and how it responds to treatment and how well the patient manages their condition overall.

Advocacy & Media, Best Practices, Education & Training, Uncategorized