Dr Amanda Hall
Lecturer, Audiology | Aston University
Birmingham, UNITED KINGDOM
Dr Hall's research focuses on the causes and impact of hearing loss in children, at both the individual and the population level.
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Biography
Dr Hall is a lecturer in Audiology at Aston University, and a registered clinical scientist with Bristol Children’s Hearing Service. Amanda is also the ENT Specialty Lead and Audiology champion for the West of England NIHR Clinical Research Network.
Amanda’s research focuses on the causes and impact of hearing loss in children, at both the individual and the population level. She is also working on developing interventions to improve shared decision making within clinical services.
Areas of Expertise (6)
Audiology
Shared Decision Making
Audiology Health Services Research
Causes and Impact of Childhood Hearing Loss
Longitudinal Cohort Studies
RF Otorhinolaryngology
Links (2)
Articles (3)
Iodine status during child development and hearing ability - a systematic review
British Journal of Nutrition2022 Iodine, through the thyroid hormones, is required for the development of the auditory cortex and cochlea (the sensory organ for hearing). Deafness is a well-documented feature of endemic cretinism resulting from severe iodine deficiency. However, the range of effects of suboptimal iodine intake during auditory development on the hearing ability of children is less clear. We therefore aimed to systematically review the evidence for the association between iodine exposure (i.e. intake/status/supplementation) during development (i.e. pregnancy and/or childhood) and hearing outcomes in children. We searched PubMed and Embase and identified 330 studies, of which thirteen were included in this review. Only three of the thirteen studies were of low risk of bias or of good quality, this therefore limited our ability to draw firm conclusions. Nine of the studies (69 %) were in children (one RCT, two non-RCT interventions and six cross-sectional studies) and four (31 %) were in pregnant women (one RCT, one cohort study and two case reports). The RCT of iodine supplementation in mildly iodine-deficient pregnant women found no effect on offspring hearing thresholds. However, hearing was a secondary outcome of the trial and not all women were from an iodine-deficient area. Iodine supplementation of severely iodine-deficient children (in both non-RCT interventions) resulted in improved hearing thresholds. Five of six cross-sectional studies (83 %) found that higher iodine status in children was associated with better hearing. The current evidence base for the association between iodine status and hearing outcomes is limited and further good-quality research on this topic is needed.
Exploring how parents of children with unilateral hearing loss make habilitation decisions: a qualitative study
International Journal of Audiology2021 Objective This study sought to explore the decision making needs of parents managing the hearing and communication needs of children with unilateral hearing loss. Design An inductive, qualitative method was used. The data were analysed using a constant comparative approach, consistent with Grounded Theory method. Study sample Twenty one families participated in interviews yielding data on twenty two children. Each of these families had at least one child with unilateral hearing loss. The age range of the children varied from four months to sixteen years old. All parents were English speaking and received care from National Health Service Audiology departments across the United Kingdom. Results Parents valued professionals’ opinions, but information provision was inconsistent. As their children mature, parents increasingly valued their child’s input. Parent-child discussions focussed on how different management strategies fit their child’s preferences. Parents were proactive in obtaining professional advice, and integrating this with their own iterative assessment of their child’s performance. Conclusions Decision making is an iterative process. Parents make nuanced decisions which aim to preserve a sense of what is normal for them. Clinicians need to recognise the parental view, including where it may contrast with a medicalised or clinical view.
Factors associated with the development of paediatric chronic otitis media by age nine: A prospective longitudinal cohort study of 6560 children
Journal of Laryngology and Otology2020 OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyse social, health and environmental factors associated with the development of chronic otitis media by age nine. METHOD: This was a prospective, longitudinal, birth cohort study of 6560 children, reviewed at age nine. Chronic otitis media defined as previous surgical history or video-otoscopic changes of tympanic membrane retraction, perforation or cholesteatoma. Non-affected children were used as the control group. RESULTS: Univariate analysis demonstrated an association between chronic otitis media and otorrhoea, snoring, grommet insertion, adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy, hearing loss, abnormal tympanograms and preterm birth. Multivariate analysis suggests many of these factors may be interrelated. CONCLUSION: The association between chronic otitis media and otorrhoea, abnormal tympanograms and grommets supports the role of the Eustachian tube and otitis media (with effusion or acute) in the pathogenesis of chronic otitis media. The role of snoring, adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy is unclear. Associations suggested by previous studies (sex, socioeconomic group, parental smoking, maternal education, childcare, crowding and siblings) were not found to be significant predictors in this analysis.
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