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Consultant physicians working with patients - Royal College of ...

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2 Specialties Audiovestibular medicineHealth services forelderly peopleChild health anddevelopmentLearning disabilityservicesAudiovestibular medicineSpeech and languagetherapyNeurologyAdultsPaediatricsNewborn hearingscreening programmeAcute paediatricsGeneral medicineGPNeonatologyENTFig 1 Sources <strong>of</strong> referral to audiovestibular medicine from primary, secondary and tertiary levels.ENT = ear, nose and throat specialists; GP = general practitioners.These feed into secondary audiovestibular provisionin either the hospital or the community. Not allcommunity audiology services are led by AVPs;some may be delivered by paediatricians in childhealth who have gained additional competencies inaudiology.Successful moves <strong>of</strong> services into alternative healthcaresettings will depend largely on the provision <strong>of</strong> facilitiesand space for interdisciplinary teamwork, which is attheheart<strong>of</strong>patientcareinthisfield.Complementary servicesAVPsworkclosely<strong>with</strong>awidevariety<strong>of</strong>services.Theseinclude old age medicine, neurology, otology,paediatrics, ophthalmology, psychiatry, oncology,endocrinology, acute medicine, cardiology, speech andlanguage therapy, clinical psychology, audiology,rehabilitation services, NHSP, social work and thevoluntary sector.3 Working <strong>with</strong> <strong>patients</strong>: patient-centredcareInteraction <strong>with</strong> <strong>patients</strong>The basis <strong>of</strong> all clinical work is careful history anddetailed medical examination, supported byconventional medical investigations. Selection andinterpretation <strong>of</strong> specialist assessments by otherhealthcare pr<strong>of</strong>essionals supports the physician toproduce both a diagnosis and a management plan,incorporating active treatment where appropriate.Audiovestibular disorders are <strong>of</strong>ten chronic andsuccessful management requires effectivecommunication <strong>with</strong> <strong>patients</strong> and carers/families aboutthe nature <strong>of</strong> the disorder and the possible managementoptions. Clinical activity needs to be delivered by anMDTinanacousticallyandpatient-friendlyenvironment <strong>with</strong> interpreters for both sign language(British Sign Language (BSL) and other sign support)and English as a second language, as needed.Patient-centred care AVPs are careful to provide unbiased information toenable <strong>patients</strong> and parents/carers to make informeddecisions about their investigations andinterventions. This enables the patient to have aninput in their care plan. Knowledge <strong>of</strong> and respect for the varied attitudes todeafness and disability in different ethnic andcultural groups enables informed discussion. Forexample: community attitudes to deafness thatdiffer in relation to genetic testing; disquiet in thedeaf community about the use <strong>of</strong> cochlearimplants or hearing aids; and the use <strong>of</strong> signlanguage.C○ <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> Physicians 2013 37

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