Ph.d.-forsvar ved Lene Dahl Siggaard

Fredag den 24. november forsvarer læge ved Øre-Næse-Halskirurgisk Afdeling, Lene Dahl Siggaard sin ph.d.-afhandling omhandlende en ny digital vurderingsmetode for voksne personer med høretab, som har til formål at sikre mere sammenhængende og tidseffektive patientforløb. 

Lene Dahl SiggaardOm afhandlingen

Age-related hearing loss in the elderly can significantly impair quality of life, exacerbating social isolation, premature retirement, and psychological disorders. Systemic inefficiencies in Denmark's hearing healthcare, such as prolonged wait times and complex legislation, delay essential treatments. This challenge will escalate, with the demographic aged over 60 years expected to rise from 12% to 22% between 2015 and 2050. In Denmark, initial hearing aid users typically undergo a physical ear-nose-and-throat (ENT) specialist assessment, aligned with national guidelines, but this extends treatment initiation and often duplicates audiological tests.

To address this, the Danish Ministry of Health's 2018 publication proposed six initiatives to enhance the hearing healthcare system's efficiency. The primary initiative aims to develop a remote ENT specialist assessment method to streamline the diagnosis, reduce delays, and alleviate bottlenecks. The remaining initiatives target transparent treatment information, new national quality standards, improved resource use, systematic data methodologies, and unbiased treatment processes.

This thesis investigates the first initiative, a remote ENT specialist assessment method, through a clinical trial with 751 potential adult first-time hearing aid users. It emphasizes patient safety, treatment benefit, and satisfaction when direct patient-physician interaction is removed. In summary, remote ENT assessments do not compromise patient safety or diminish self-reported hearing aid benefits and satisfaction. However, ensuring data quality is vital for precise remote screening. Further testing in wider contexts is essential to refine the approach, advocating its responsible concurrent use with existing methods.

Tid og sted

Ph.d.-forsvaret finder sted fredag den 24. november kl. 14.00 i Medicinerhuset Auditorium. Det er muligt at overvære forsvaret online - kontakt Mette Bjerre på m.bjerre@rn.dk for link.

Vejledere og bedømmelsesudvalg

Vejledere

  • Associate Professor Morten Høgsbro, M.D., Ph.D. MSc,
    Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University 
  • Head of Department Henrik Jacobsen, M.D., mMBA,
    Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, and Audiology, Aalborg University Hospital
  • Associate Professor Dan Dupont Hougaard, M.D.,
    Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University

Bedømmelsesudvalg

  • Professor Henrik Vorum, M.D., Ph.D., Med.Sc.D., 
    Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University
  • Professor Jonas Bränströmm, M.D., Med.Sc.D., Docent in Audiology,
    Lund University Hospital, Sweden
  • Associate Professor Anders Britze, M.D., Ph.D.,
    Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University
 

Opdateret