News KUDUwave
Occupational Health Audiometric Testing Explained – Part 2, Entry/Pre-Placement/Pre-Employment, Periodic and Monitoring Audiograms
Unlike superheroes that fly in to save the day and then are never to be heard from again, Occupational Health Practitioners are the real unsung heroes, who year in and year out come back to follow up. Regular monitoring ofRead More
Tympanometry: What it is and why should you invest in it?
Tympanometry, introduced in the early 1970s, is an objective measure that assesses the function of the middle ear. Specifically, it measures the mobility of the eardrum and the ossicles (middle ear conductive bones).Tympanometry works by placing a probe into theRead More
The cost consideration of the implementation of tele-audiology services
The cost consideration of the implementation of tele-audiology services in one’s practice stretches far beyond the cost of the equipment used. Other costs and resources include training of a facilitator, facilitator remuneration, internet connectivity and communication tools between the clinicianRead More
Occupational Health Audiometric Testing in South Africa Explained (Part 1)
Part 1: The BaselineAs an occupational healthcare practitioner, you can take comfort in knowing that you play a vital role in the protection of workers’ rights. Without you, noise induced hearing loss would not be detected, and workers would continueRead More
What does it mean to say the KUDUwave is the “gold standard”?
the gold standard noun [ S ] the situation in which a currency’s value is based on the price of gold something that is very good and is used for measuring how good other similar things are On a regularRead More
THE TRUE COST OF BOOTH-LESS AUDIOMETRY
The true cost of booth-less audiometry is incurred by either the hearing healthcare practitioner or the patient/s. A balance needs to be struck between cost-effective implementation of boothless audiometry in the practice whilst ensuring continued accurate patient audiometric measurements. TheRead More
5 Key Considerations When Choosing Your Tele-Audiology Equipment
Tele-audiology is the utilization of electronic information and telecommunication technologies to deliver audiological services to remote and distant clinics. Although the implementation of tele-audiology services is straightforward, the provision and the extent of tele-audiology services relies heavily on the equipmentRead More
Bilateral Simultaneous Tympanometry with the KUDUwave™ TMP
Publication in the American Journal of AudiologyMany advances have been made to increase accessibility to hearing healthcare services. The KUDUwave™ audiometer, with increased passive attenuation, has been validated as a boothless audiometer paving a way to increased hearing related servicesRead More
Room Certifications for audiometry in South Africa
Yes, it’s true, you can and may perform hearing tests without a sound booth. To do this you need to ensure that your audiometer headset attenuates, or reduces sound, as effectively as, or better than a sound booth. Additionally youRead More
A new audiometric symbol for minimum response levels.
By Hlologelo Ramatsoma, and Dirk Koekemoer, MBChB A common observation in audiometry is the minimum response levels of an audiometer due to various non-patient conditions. Audiologists and other hearing healthcare professionals must be cognizant of the difference between hearing thresholdsRead More
Is your audiometer SANS approved for South Africa?
Audiometers utilized within South Africa for audiometric purposes have to comply with all relevant international and national standards for hearing assessment purposes. This article will outline the requirements that an audiometer has to tick in order to comply with theRead More
Did COVID-19 kill the sound booth?
Or did COVID-19 kill the future of quality audiology care? (an opinion piece) AIRFLOW, AIRFLOW, AIRFLOW! Make sure you have proper airflow in your office and in your sound booth. Make sure the AC in your consultation room does notRead More
Are your South-African audiometer calibrations valid?
Was your audiometer calibrated by an institution that conforms to SANS 17025? Firstly let’s sort out perception from fact. What is a “perception”? The subjective ability to see, hear or become aware of something through the senses. WhatRead More
The value of the KUDUwave in the time of COVID-19
The KUDUwave enables continued hearing healthcare during COVID-19. The risk of cross-contamination is reduced by having your patients outside the booth and performing validated diagnostic testing in a well-ventilated environment. Safe and effective hearing assessments, as well as ototoxicity screening,Read More
Chloroquine-induced hearing loss: ototoxicity monitoring in COVID-19 patients
Over the past few decades, audiological ototoxicity monitoring has proven to be effective in early detection, identification, and as a resultant, the prevention of ototoxicity or medication-induced hearing loss. Ototoxicity is an adverse pharmacological reaction affecting the inner ear andRead More
Tele-audiometry – a KUDUwave solution
There has been an exponential increase in the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide. As a result, the disease has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and a pandemic, causing many countries to go into lockdown in orderRead More
Corona and safety in audiology: Clinical recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic in your audiology practice
The first COVID-19 case was reported in China in November 2019. Only four months after the outbreak, the COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. A pandemic is a global outbreak of a new disease – meaning the disease is spread worldwide. In essence,Read More
Cleaning your KUDUwave audiometer and Orca spirometer during the COVID-19 outbreak
Minimize Contact and Disinfect Many clinics are leaving the door to the clinic open, so the doorknob is one less surface to touch. They are not having individuals sign-in so community pens are not being touched. Reducing the number ofRead More
Powerful stories from KUDUwave users
Thank you to everyone who shared their story on how you’re changing the lives of people with KUDUwave. Despite the competition’s end, we encourage all KUDUwave users out there to share your story with us – We’re all ears (always).We’reRead More
Businessman finding the solution of a maze Things to Consider When Choosing an Audiometer
For the past few years, occupational healthcare has been considered one of the best career paths for college graduates. When you get in the field, setting up your own practice can be challenging if you don’t know a lot about the toolsRead More
Criteria For Defining Asymmetrical Hearing Loss
Asymmetrical hearing loss is not always taken seriously by healthcare professionals outside of audiology – “It can be a tumour”! Asymmetrical hearing loss is of important diagnostic interest as it has implications on the treatment, surgery and rehabilitation of theRead More
Degrees of hearing loss versus Grades of hearing impairment and some maths on how to classify the configuration of hearing loss
While hearing loss is defined as partial or total inability to hear sounds with one or both ears, it is much more complex than that. To that end, a lot of research has been done and an important number ofRead More
An otoscopic examination is essential: Don’t skip it.
Each person has their own method of building a puzzle. Generally, you begin with the edges because they are the quickest to identify. One should approach screening and diagnosis in the same fashion, piece by piece discovering the overall picture.Read More
Understanding Audiometer Calibration and Test Room Certifications
Most people understand the difference between a wrench and a screwdriver, but this does not qualify them to be a mechanic. Car owners know that without regular maintenance by a qualified mechanic, their car will in time, breakdown. Nobody wantsRead More
Word Recognition – Speech Testing With Dr René Hornby
Speech is the auditory stimulus through which we communicate. Auditory assessment of hearing loss using speech is therefore of great interest in the field of speech and hearing sciences; in fact, it has a long history in the evaluation ofRead More
Stenger Test and Patient response monitoring with KUDUwave
While the general population are unlikely to attempt to malinger or exaggerate their hearing loss, the prevalence of nonorganic hearing loss (NOHL) is much higher when secondary gains are expected. For example, much research has reported a higher prevalence ofRead More
A Free & Easy Way To Get More Customers To Your Practice
Customers are the lifeblood of any business whether established or new. While Audiologists and doctors will be focused on patients occupational/industrial health companies will be looking for clients (who have patients). Either way, you need more of them. A problemRead More
Audiometry Without The Soundbooth – And Stuff About Everest
Sure, you could attempt to test hearing loss without a soundbooth, in fact many people do. You could also try to scale mount everest without a sherpa, barefoot and wearing a tutu. It is conceivably possible, but, why on earthRead More
Speech Testing With KUDUwave™
Pure tone and speech audiometry go hand in hand and are a vital combination in hearing health assessment and management. Speech audiometry is used to assess a patient’s sensitivity to speech as well as clarity to speech heard. Used inRead More
The Future Of Audiometry Does Not Include The Sound Booth. Here’s why
The audiometric booth has long been the standard in audiometry and for good reason. Without it, we would not have the sound blocking that makes accurate hearing assessment possible as noise would interfere with the tones presented and patients wouldRead More
Easily Skyrocket Your Audiology Practice With Less
So, why don’t you own your own practice? Why can’t you see more patients every day? Can’t you find ways of better managing your time? Why do I have to go somewhere else for another hearing test? Can’t you useRead More
We’re Blowing Our Own Trumpet
As the manufacturer of the KUDUwave portable audiometer we are thrilled that we have just received the fresh new copy of our ISO 13485; 2016 certificate, and updated, migrated EC certificate. Why is ISO 13485 so important to us? ItRead More
Masking in Audiology: Rules For Knowing exactly when to mask?
Binaural hearing, or simply put, the ability to hear with both ears helps us to localize sounds, be aware of your surroundings, hear better in background noise (when one has normal hearing), perceive better sound quality, and strain less whenRead More
Hearing Assessments in the Elderly Population
Age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) is the most prevalent sensory impairment in the elderly. Approximately one in three adults between the ages of 65 and 74 have some degree of hearing loss, while almost half of those older than 75 experienceRead More
How Deaf Teens Are Benefiting From Social Media
We spent the first few years of their lives willing them to sleep. We hunted down the perfect pacifier and spent a fortune for curtains with block-out, all in the hope that they would sleep. And now, we can’t getRead More
The Link Between Diabetes and Hearing Loss
The prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide. Globally, adult diabetes has nearly doubled and is rising more rapidly in middle and low-income countries. According to the World Health Organisation, in 1980, 108 million people were diagnosed with diabetes worldwide. ByRead More
Bringing Awareness To Hearing Loss On World Hearing Day
Communication is the foundation, the cornerstone, and the very bricks and mortar of our day-to-day lives. It’s how we connect. With each other, our environments, and the world. Of course, there are several ways in which we can and do communicate,Read More
4 Speech Recognition Apps To Assist The Hearing Impaired
Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) is nothing new and has been around for some time, but Google’s recent launch of Live Transcribe has brought ASR back into the spotlight, proving that with any technology one only has to blink and thereRead More
Why you should always calibrate an audiometer?
Regulations and standards that cover the use of audiometers exist globally. While some differ, most, if not all, require that the equipment is calibrated and maintained regularly and records are kept for auditing. The Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA), theRead More
Teleaudiology – Helping working Moms find that elusive balance?
If you are a mom and an audiologist, like me, you likely spend your days trying to intricately balance the demands of building a business while caring for your family. For many, their work is a purely financial necessity. While,Read More
6 Of Our Most Popular Audiology Posts Of 2018
We are all human and as humans we know how precious time is. Family, friends, work and social life, especially over the holidays are priority and it can be difficult to keep up to date. Don’t worry, we’re here to helpRead More
5 Ways To Look After Your Hearing Over The Holidays
The festive season is here. Masses will be outdoors with family, friends and loved ones celebrating this merry season. Music, concerts, parades, fireworks are the highlight of the festive fun, and don’t forget holiday shopping! There is no reason toRead More
6 Things to Consider when Buying an Audiometer
So… You have planned and documented a business plan for your practice. You have noted the services that you will be providing and now, you need to find an audiometer that meets your needs. Or it may be time toRead More
What You Need To Consider For Audiology Practice Space Design
“Audiology Practice Space Design’’ is a bit of an unusual topic, especially for clinical audiologists, yet it is an important one. Times are changing, especially in healthcare. Audiologists are trained specialists in the auditory system and are well prepared forRead More
5 Ways Audiologists Can Reach More Patients
All businesses fall prey to seasonality and audiology is no different. Some months are great and patients seem to pour through the door and it’s hard to keep up. Others are dry, with only a few appointments, repairs or follow-ups.Read More
Audiology Marketing | The Ethical Ways To Promote Your Practice
So you’ve got the perfect location and you have your plan down to a T. You’ve procured all the necessary equipment and are ready to hit the ground running. But then you realize that referrals are not enough to keepRead More
3 Pro Tips For Choosing An Audiology Practice Space
In our previous post on 6 Steps to Setting Up an Audiology Business we covered the main steps one would take when venturing out into private practice. We briefly touched on the importance of location and its significance to yourRead More
6 Steps to Setting Up an Audiology Business
Starting up any kind of business is a daunting challenge for many and an audiology practice is no exception. A private practice demands attention, knowledge and stamina as its focus isn’t only for clinical purposes, but for financial too. ApartRead More
How to Successfully plan for a Tele Audiology Practice
In our previous blog posts on ‘How to Implement Tele-Audiology in your Practice’ and ‘The Right Tools for Teleaudiology’ we covered the fundamental aspects of this concept. But an important facet of any ehealth or tele-audiology project that will ultimatelyRead More
The Right Tools For TeleAudiology
The main goal of ehealth and in this case, tele-audiology, is to improve access to care, especially for patients in remote areas or for patients who are unable to come to you. Successful implementation of remote audiology relies on the carefulRead More
Dr Dirk Koekemoer on KlipKouers (AFR)
Dr Dirk Koekemoer, the founder of eMoyo and creative genius behind the KUDUwave, takes the mike to discuss his experiences developing healthcare technology for the world. To hear his story, check out this interview on KlipKouers (please note that the interview isRead More
How to Implement Tele-Audiology in your Practice
Tele-audiology is a concept that has been defined and explained excessively in literature. However, there is a paucity of documentation on the practical implementation of tele-audiology in one’s clinic, more especially in the developing world context. I’m sure we’ve allRead More
4 Reasons To Implement HighAudiometry
Despite overwhelming evidence in support of extended high-frequency testing, many clinicians remain limited to conventional tonal audiometry (125 – 8000 Hz). Normal hearing in the extended high-frequency range is what enables us to hear conversation in loud environments. Without it,Read More
5 Tips to Ensure Quality Audiometry Results
Ensuring accurate and reliable results isn’t always a walk in the park and we all know that the quality of your test results has a direct impact on diagnosis, management and patient outcomes. It’s a multifaceted concept that requires participationRead More
Why KUDUwave Audiometry Software Is Free, Forever
We know that running a practice or any business is tough. While we can’t magic away all of your problems at once, we can help with a few of them and help lighten the load. The KUDUwave already goes aRead More
At the crossroads of screening and diagnostic audiometry
You may be an audiologist considering providing screening services to bring more patients into your practice. You may be a doctor interested in adding hearing testing to your service, or branching out into occupational health. Whichever the case, a commonRead More
The difference between PC-Based and PC-Controlled Audiometer
There are many devices that can be used to conduct pure tone audiometry such as; conventional standalone audiometers, hybrid audiometers, portable audiometers, smartphone based, computer based and computer controlled audiometers. With such variety, confusion is inevitable. It is difficult toRead More
Boothless Audiometry VS Audiometry Without A Sound Booth
At first glance, this title may seem like a redundant statement, but, in reality, these are vastly different concepts and the sooner we address them the better. Let us first remind ourselves of what a soundbooth is actually for. There isRead More
A mother, a wife and an exceptional professional
Gone are the days when women were confined to the boundaries of the home and household chores. Women are now leading professionals, CEO’s, MD’s and engineers just to name a few. They are continually breaking boundaries and challenging stereotypes inRead More
Can Tinnitus Affect Hearing Tests Results?
Tinnitus can make it difficult for a patient to distinguish between test tones (pure tones) being presented and those generated by their tinnitus. As a result false-positive responses will occur. In effect, the tones presented are masked when the tinnitusRead More
Celebrating Women in Audiology
“Success isn’t about how much money you can make, it’s about the difference you can make in people’s lives.”-Michelle Obama. It’s National Women’s day and what better way to celebrate it than by commemorating women in the field of Audiology.Read More
Introducing the eMoyo Foundation
We are pleased to introduce the eMoyo foundation. With this initiative, we aim to give back to humanity through healthcare. The foundation was established to help alleviate the burden placed on primary health care facilities. One of our main aimsRead More
Can Cold Weather Cause Hearing Loss?
Winter is one of those seasons you either love or love to hate. A warm blanket and chai latte on a comfy couch is the ideal scenario for the average winters’ day. But, with cold weather comes a multitude ofRead More
6 common questions about insert earphones
Over the years, there’s been an increase in the use of insert earphones (IE) in audiometry. Although previously supra-aural headphones were part of standard practice, insert earphones perform the same function. Furthermore, various clinical studies have shown that both transducersRead More
6 Reasons Why Insert Earphones Should The Audiometry Standard
“Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton asked why.’’ – Bernard Baruch. As clinicians, we often follow the same protocols and procedures we learned in university. These procedures become a habit, we are so used to them that we don’tRead More
Tinnitus, what’s all the noise about?
Imagine having a constant whistling, buzzing or ringing in your ears – all day. You can never escape it, it’s always there. It may seem better or quieter during the day, while watching the television, or while you’re on yourRead More
Health 4.0: The Healthcare Revolution will be Digitized
The second wave of technological disruption is well underway. Like a tsunami headed for the shore, the fourth industrial revolution is not losing momentum. This second wave doesn’t seem as disruptive as the one before it, but it’s one notRead More
Q&A: The Changing Future Of Audiology With Dr Dirk Koekemoer
In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell and his colleague Watson experienced the very first telephone call in their Boston lab. The call wasn’t clear or crisp, but it was the end of the telegraph and the beginning of modern day telephony.Read More
Is football fever giving your ears the boot?
Football fever has masses glued to their TV, computer and cellphone screens. This is an enormous event, loved by football fans across the globe. I must admit, the passion rubs off onto an individual like myself, who is not yourRead More
Why seeing an audiologist is an investment in company performance
If you have ever had a conference call you will likely understand the frustration of being a part of a broken conversation in which you cannot participate. This video sums it up perfectly and may give you a chuckle.
How To Catch A Malingering Patient. Stenger Test And More
Every clinician has experienced a patient feigning illness and the field of audiology is no exception. Whether physical or psychological, it only takes one telenovela style impersonation of a factitious disorder to see why many get caught out. “Fakers” usuallyRead More
Industry 4.0. Don’t get left behind
Gone are the days where water wheels and steam engines were the primary source of power. Electricity took over and led the world from the first industrial revolution to the second. This new found power source, electricity, meant that systemsRead More
Hearing Screening – Where It Goes Wrong
The audiologist can be a solitary species. Choosing to lose ourselves in our work and focus on patient care instead of the heady social life we see zooming around us. Maybe it’s because we are very focused, or perhaps it’sRead More
Cheaper by the dozen – The Answer to Mass screening in Healthcare
The expression ‘less is more’ is not always true. In healthcare, where the output is directly related to the input, the idea that one can yield a greater output with less input is both unreasonable and illogical. In this case,Read More
Healthcare Automation. At The Very Heart Of Future Care
In a time when almost everything in society is either automated or portable, why is it then that certain sectors are being left behind? The answer to this question isn’t straightforward that’s for sure, but regardless of its nature, it’sRead More
Why Audiometer Calibration Is Key To Accurate Hearing Testing
We are all acutely aware of the fact that in order to stay healthy we need to exercise. We are especially aware after a long cold winter or summer vacation. While the list of benefits we gain from physical activityRead More
Recorded Speech Tests vs. Monitored Live Voice
Of the many hearing tests, speech audiometry is one of the most fundamental in the test battery. Unfortunately, it has been shown to be one of the tests that audiologists conduct without using procedures that have been shown to beRead More
We’re betting on task shifting in audiology, and you should too.
World Hearing Day was a little over a month ago. On the day, WHO released their estimates of the numbers they predict will have disabling hearing loss by 2050. While the numbers they predicted were startling, it didn’t seem asRead More
Masking In Audiology, Everything You Might Not Know
Breath in.. Breath out.. Most clinicians break out in a cold sweat when it comes to masking in audiology. “Am I doing this correctly, is it effective?”. Take a deep breath and look no further. To understand it, we mustRead More
8 Audiology Jobs You Should Probably Know About
Some may think of audiologists as people who fit the elderly with hearing aids. While this may be partly true, it is a vast simplification of what audiologists actually do. Audiology is a varied and complex profession requiring in-depth anatomicalRead More
The Truth Behind Bone-conduction Vibrator Placement
Just over 70 years ago, Georg von Békésy’s experiments laid the foundation for bone conduction (BC) testing. Over 50 years ago, Raymond Carhart researched and wrote about the clinical applications of BC assessment. Ever since the earliest testing using tuningRead More
How to Read an Audiogram
You just performed a pure tone audiometry test and your audiogram is in front of you – what now? Now, it’s time to understand how to read an audiogram. Audiometry is a key tool in uncovering, preventing or treating hearingRead More
Ambient noise attenuation: the key to reliable hearing assessment
Have you ever experienced loud interfering noise during testing? Has it ever been so loud that testing had to stop? Or have you ever wondered if the environmental noise (*also called background noise) was too loud but had no wayRead More
Occupational Health Hearing Screening Compliance (SANS).
YES, the Kuduwave™ complies with all required standards as an audiometer. But let’s look deeper into just how we comply to the South African National Standard (SANS) as they pertain to occupational health, thanks to a report by Dr. AnitaRead More
Design thinking – Making Sense of the Complex = Simple Paradox
Humanity finds itself in a strange and sometimes frightening place in the 21st Century. As we enter the fourth industrial revolution amid exploding research and development into artificial intelligence and robotics, where the man/machine interface is becoming closer and digital,Read More
Deaf or Death? A New Answer to Ototoxicity’s Oldest Question
Ototoxicity is the negative effect of certain medications that can cause hearing loss. Even common medication such as Aspirin or ibuprofen pose a risk. It is well documented but largely ignored and rarely discussed. If you have ever found yourselfRead More
Why Audiology Has A Future
Like it or not, audiology is changing, and the challenge to stay relevant is real. But, with change comes opportunity. You need to trust that change is not only constant but necessary and that moving with the times rather thanRead More
Don’t Let Calibrations Get You Down-time
Because you have more important things to do than worry about calibration downtime, we have introduced 2 new calibration options just for you. While regular calibration of audiometers is necessary to comply with the standards and help to ensure qualityRead More
Coalition for Global Hearing Health Conference – Miami
Early registrations are open for Miami, USA | 12-14 Oct 2017The Coalition for Global Hearing Health advocates for effective hearing health services and policies. They focus on equipping and empowering hearing healthcare professionals, families, educators, communities and those with hearingRead More
How Tele-Audiology Is Taking Hearing Care to Patients in Remote Areas
What could possibly be in common between astronauts living on the International Space Station (ISS) and people eking out a living in rural sub-Saharan Africa? It’s not just isolation that joins these two sets of seemingly contrasting faces of humanity.Read More
An Ultimate Guide to Occupational Health Screening
Employees are the most important asset of any company. Occupational health checks help to keep the workforce healthy and productive. Healthy employees can be more efficient and are less likely to be absent from work. An employee’s health status willRead More
How Telemedicine is Changing the Face of Audiology Forever
As a general rule of life and technology, in particular, tradition eventually takes a backseat to innovation, convenience, and mobility every single time. Examples of this are all around us, in every industry — a prime example being Landline TelephonesRead More
The Critical Role of Tympanometry in Hearing Healthcare
The most commonly used test for evaluating auditory sensitivity among people of almost all-ages is pure tone audiometry. This method has been proven to be reliable in measuring hearing, especially in adults. While pure tone audiometry can be used inRead More
Acoustic Stapedial Reflex Measurements with the KUDUwave TMP
On account of the exciting launch of the KUDUwave TMP, our previous blog post covered the importance of tympanometry in every hearing healthcare setting.With the KUDUwave TMP, a clinician can conduct automatic and manual (pressure change) tympanometry assessments, and ipsilateral andRead More