Millions of Americans experience some degree of hearing loss. The Social Security Administration (SSA) operates programs that provide cash disability benefits to people with permanent impairments like hearing loss, if they can show that their impairments meet stringent SSA criteria and their earnings are below an SSA threshold. The National Research Council convened an expert committee at the request of the SSA to study the issues related to disability determination for people with hearing loss. This volume is the product of that study. Hearing Loss: Determining Eligibility for Social Security Benefits reviews current knowledge about hearing loss and its measurement and treatment, and provides an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the current processes and criteria. It recommends changes to strengthen the disability determination process and ensure its reliability and fairness. The book addresses criteria for selection of pure tone and speech tests, guidelines for test administration, testing of hearing in noise, special issues related to testing children, and the difficulty of predicting work capacity from clinical hearing test results. It should be useful to audiologists, otolaryngologists, disability advocates, and others who are concerned with people who have hearing loss.

This open access book offers an essential overview of brain, head and neck, and spine imaging. Over the last few years, there have been considerable advances in this area, driven by both clinical and technological developments. Written by leading international experts and teachers, the chapters are disease-oriented and cover all relevant imaging modalities, with a focus on magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. The book also includes a synopsis of pediatric imaging. IDKD books are rewritten (not merely updated) every four years, which means they offer a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art in imaging. The book is clearly structured and features learning objectives, abstracts, subheadings, tables and take-home points, supported by design elements to help readers navigate the text. It will particularly appeal to general radiologists, radiology residents, and interventional radiologists who want to update their diagnostic expertise, as well as clinicians from other specialties who are interested in imaging for their patient care.

The loss of hearing - be it gradual or acute, mild or severe, present since birth or acquired in older age - can have significant effects on one's communication abilities, quality of life, social participation, and health. Despite this, many people with hearing loss do not seek or receive hearing health care. The reasons are numerous, complex, and often interconnected. For some, hearing health care is not affordable. For others, the appropriate services are difficult to access, or individuals do not know how or where to access them. Others may not want to deal with the stigma that they and society may associate with needing hearing health care and obtaining that care. Still others do not recognize they need hearing health care, as hearing loss is an invisible health condition that often worsens gradually over time. In the United States, an estimated 30 million individuals (12.7 percent of Americans ages 12 years or older) have hearing loss. Globally, hearing loss has been identified as the fifth leading cause of years lived with disability. Successful hearing health care enables individuals with hearing loss to have the freedom to communicate in their environments in ways that are culturally appropriate and that preserve their dignity and function. Hearing Health Care for Adults focuses on improving the accessibility and affordability of hearing health care for adults of all ages. This study examines the hearing health care system, with a focus on non-surgical technologies and services, and offers recommendations for improving access to, the affordability of, and the quality of hearing health care for adults of all ages.

This reference is a comprehensive work in the field of neurotrauma and critical care. It incorporates the fields of head injury, spinal injury and basic neurotrauma research into one source. The major emphasis is on the treatment of patients with head and spinal cord injury, including the management of all other problems that bear upon the care of these patients.

Otology and Neurotology provides guidance on the clinical and practical management of diseases of the ear and lateral skull base.It discusses the latest techniques and technologies that encompass the complex nature of the specialty.Topics important to the otologist and neurotologist, such as chronic ear disease, cochlear and brainstem implants, robotic surgery, and many others, are covered by experts in their fields. This book is an invaluable reference for residents, fellows, allied health professionals, comprehensive otolaryngologists, otologists, neurotologists, and skull base surgeons. Key Features: Applied anatomy and physiology of the ear and lateral skull base Evidence-based approach to diseases of the ear and lateral skull base Practical presentation of cutting-edge concepts in otology and neurotology The contributors to this volume are internationally recognized experts in otology, neurotology, and lateral skull base surgery.

This second edition of a best-selling Oxford Medical Handbook provides a comprehensive guide to the practice of ENT and head and neck surgery in a concise, practical, and easily accessible format. For use on the ward or for revision purposes, this new edition is organised anatomically and each section provides a summary of the essential approach to a specific presenting complaint. Quick access chapters are included detailing emergency conditions and their acute management. This new edition includes expanded sections on anatomy, paediatrics, drugs, practical and surgical procedures, and emergencies. There are new chapters covering ENT manifestations in HIV/AIDS and sleep disorders. Still the only pocket-sized reference of ENT available, this handbook is unique in offering diagnostic flowcharts which guide readers based on specific sets of symptoms. Patient-centred and practical, this book represents a more accurate experience for those typically faced with ENT and head and neck surgery in clinical practice.

Many children and adults experience impairment of their communication skills. These communication disorders impact adversely on all aspects of these individuals' lives. In thirty dedicated chapters, The Cambridge Handbook of Communication Disorders examines the full range of developmental and acquired communication disorders and provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive guide to the epidemiology, aetiology and clinical features of these disorders. The volume also examines how these disorders are assessed and treated by speech and language therapists and addresses recent theoretical developments in the field. The handbook goes beyond well-known communication disorders to include populations such as children with emotional disturbance, adults with non-Alzheimer dementias and people with personality disorders. Each chapter describes in accessible terms the most recent thinking and research in communication disorders. The volume is an ideal guide for academic researchers, graduate students and professionals in speech and language therapy.