On March 1, 2012, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation published a new Clinical Practice Guideline on Sudden Hearing Loss (SHL). This guideline is published as a supplement to Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
A sudden loss of hearing is a frightening symptom that most often prompts urgent medical care. Current diagnosis and treatment plans vary greatly. This guideline provides evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis, management, and follow-up of adults who present with SHL. Prompt, accurate recognition and management of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), a subset of SHL, may improve hearing recovery and patient quality of life. SSNHL affects 5 to 20 per 100,000 population, with about 4,000 new cases per year in the United States.
The purpose of this guideline is to provide all clinicians who may encounter patients with SHL with evidence-based recommendations for diagnosis, counseling, treatment, and follow-up. By focusing on opportunities for quality improvement, the guideline should improve diagnostic accuracy, facilitate prompt intervention, decrease variations in management, reduce unnecessary tests and imaging procedures, and improve hearing and rehabilitative outcomes for affected patients.
"We are pleased that this guideline provides doctors with a set of evidence-based recommendations for patients who present with sudden hearing loss. This guideline will help advance the care of afflicted patients and result in improved outcomes," said Robert J. Stachler, MD, Guideline Chair.
Key Points for the AAO-HNSF Clinical Practice Guideline: Sudden Hearing Loss
What is sudden hearing loss and why is it important? Sudden hearing loss (SHL) is a frightening symptom that often prompts an urgent or emergent visit to a physician. The guideline primarily focuses on sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) in adult patients (aged 18 and over).
The panel recognized that patients enter the health care system with SHL as a nonspecific, primary complaint. Therefore, the initial recommendations of the guideline deal with efficiently distinguishing SSNHL from other causes of SHL at the time of presentation. Prompt recognition and management of SSNHL may improve hearing recovery and patient quality of life (QOL). SSNHL affects 5 to 20 per 100,000 population, with about 4,000 new cases per year in the United States.
Why is the sudden hearing loss guideline newsworthy? This is the first evidence-based guideline on sudden hearing loss in the United States. The guideline's recommendations should improve diagnostic accuracy, facilitate prompt intervention, decrease inappropriate variations in management, reduce unnecessary tests and imaging procedures, and improve hearing and rehabilitative outcomes for affected patients.
What is the purpose of the sudden hearing loss guideline? To provide clinicians with evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis, management, and follow-up of patients who present with SHL. The guideline is intended for all clinicians who diagnose or manage adult patients (18 and over) who present with SHL. The guideline was developed by a multidisciplinary panel representing the fields of otolaryngology, otology, neurotology, neurology, family medicine, emergency medicine, audiology, nurse practitioners, and consumer advocacy groups.
What are the newsworthy points made in the guideline?