Interacoustics Academy Clinical Diploma

Newborn Hearing Assessment

What is the Clinical Diploma?

The Clinical Diploma is an online course designed to deliver theoretical and practical training for evoked potential testing in newborns. Covering auditory brainstem response (ABR) assessment, otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) and auditory steady state response (ASSR) testing, this course will equip delegates with the knowledge and skills to perform accurate hearing assessments in the newborn population.

The Clinical Diploma is approved by Audiology Australia for 25 CPD points.

How does the course work?

You will follow case studies through from the point of referral, via the diagnostic process to the point of decision making regarding their management. Video presentations, demonstrations and practical sessions will be used to familiarise delegates with evoked potentials equipment, patient preparation, testing technique, establishing threshold, results interpretation and the management of straight forward and complex scenarios. Your Interacoustics Academy course tutors will guide you through a series of interactive tasks and knowledge checks, as well as practical components to allow you to get hands-on, in order to facilitate the optimum learning experience.

Who is this course for?

This course is ideal for any clinician new to evoked potentials testing in young infants, or for more experienced clinicians seeking a refresher or update to their clinical practice. You will need access to an evoked potentials system such as the Interacoustics Eclipse in order to complete the compulsory practical components of the Diploma.

What will this course cover?

The patient journey and the diagnostic pathway structure

The importance of early intervention and newborn hearing screening programmes
Referral routes into diagnostic ABR and the different options available
Pre-appointment preparation: what your clinic can do

Room set up and environmental considerations for evoked potentials testing

How to create the ideal testing
environment
How to check for and manage
environmental and patient noise
Protocol management: how to
adapt the parameters available for
the best ABR test

Patient preparation and history taking

What to do when the patient first arrives
History taking, electrode placement and impedance checking

Starting the auditory brainstem response

Natural sleep vs sedation: which is best?
What other tests should be performed, and when
Starting the test: stimuli, intensity levels, frequencies, transducers, ear side and discharge levels

Improving ABRs using the CE-Chirp® family of stimuli

The importance of synchronised neural firing and how different stimuli affect this
Broadband vs frequency specific stimuli
Evidence to support the use of the CE-Chirp® family of stimuli

Establishing threshold in ABR

The categorisation of individual ABR waveforms
What is threshold and how do we define it in the world of ABR testing from the series of ABR waveforms recorded
Testing strategy for efficient ABR threshold identification

ABR correction factors

The need for and evidence behind ABR correction factors
What correction factors are available and how do we apply these values?
The problem if we do not use ABR correction factors

What happens when a hearing loss is detected: Bone conduction ABR testing

The importance of performing bone conduction ABR testing
Understanding stimuli and transducer effects
Testing strategy and trouble shooting: practical tips
2 channel / contra-curve bone conduction testing

Diagnosing auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder

The pathophysiology of ANSD
The diagnostic process for identifying ANSD
How to record a cochlear microphonic

Using ASSR to complete the audiogram

What is ASSR testing and how is it performed?
Clinical application of ASSR testing for the newborn population
Integrating ASSR testing into the clinical pathway

Hearing loss management: Straightforward and complex cases

Sensorineural hearing losses, mild hearing losses, conductive hearing losses, asymmetrical losses, mixed losses, microtia and atresia

Masking the ABR and ASSR

The difference between masking in evoked potential testing and pure tone audiometry: why an alternative approach is required
ABR and ASSR masking calculators: tools to establish if and when masking is required, and how to much masking noise to apply

Getting to know your wave V

How to identify and mark wave V
Strategies for when wave V isn’t identifiable

What do I need to do?

In order to obtain the Interacoustics Academy Clinical Diploma, you will need to navigate through the course. There are a total of 16 lessons, each of which should take between 1 and 2 hours to complete. However, there is no set time limit and you can revisit each lesson as many times as you wish. You may take as long as you wish to complete the full course. Through the course you will find a series of tasks, questions and interactions to assist in your learning experience and check your knowledge. Some of these tasks are compulsory and you will need to submit evidence of completion to the Interacoustics Academy in order to obtain your Diploma. At the end of the course, the final step is completing an exam, which you must achieve a score of 80% or higher in order to pass. After you have passed the exam and submitted the compulsory tasks, we will be delighted to award you with your Clinical Diploma Certificate.

Cost: 800 Euros

To learn more about the Clinical Diploma, we invite you to watch the following video from course director Amanda Goodhew.

Presenters: Amanda Goodhew, Jack Bennett and Leigh Martin.

Amanda Goodhew

Amanda holds a Master's degree in Audiology from the University of Southampton, where she now teaches as a Visiting Academic. She has extensive experience holding senior audiologist positions in numerous NHS hospitals and clinics, where her primary focus has been pediatric audiology. Her specific areas of interest are electrophysiology, neonatal diagnostics and amplification, and the assessment and rehabilitation of patients with complex needs.

Jack Bennett

Jack is an Audiologist from the UK and has worked in the NHS and privately in senior, managerial and clinical training roles. He holds an undergraduate degree in Audiology from Aston University where he is now a visiting teaching fellow focusing on clinical topics at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Jack also lectures at a number of other universities in the UK on a wide variety of clinic and basic science topics alongside his work as an International Clinical Trainer at the Interacoustics Academy.

Leigh Martin

Leigh Martin is a British Audiologist and adjunct lecturer at the University of Cork, Ireland. Clinically, he has worked in the National Health Service specializing in paediatric audiology as well as vestibular diagnostics and rehabilitation. Leigh has also sat on the board of directors for the British Academy of Audiology. Since 2013, Leigh has supported the growth and development of the Interacoustics Academy and holds the position of Global Manager of the Academy. Leigh has presented at numerous scientific conferences and meetings across a diverse range of audiological topics as well as having published papers in both video head impulse testing (vHIT) and wideband tympanometry.

This diploma course is intended to provide learners with an educational experience to improve their understanding and facilitate the development of clinical skills in the field of newborn hearing threshold assessment. It should be noted that this diploma course and/or the diploma certificate (as such) does not confer clinical competence or provide an assessment or qualification of the learner’s ability, skill or proficiency in the tests and fields described during the diploma course. Interacoustics assumes no liability for the materials provided – whether at the website or in the materials provided at the diploma course – and disclaims all liability for damages of any kind arising out of use.

Payment

Direct payment is by credit card. If you are unable to pay by credit card and require a purchase order to be raised, please contact your local Interacoustics representative for assistance. If you are intending to make a bulk purchase of multiple Diplomas then please also contact your local Interacoustics representative for pricing information.

Fee: 800 euro