ACAE CORNER | What Is Evidence-Based Audiology?

By James W. Hall III

This article is a part of the January/February 2018, Volume 30, Number 1, Audiology Today issue.

This article is the first of a two-part series on evidence-based audiology and the education of audiologists. A second article will offer additional strategies for more effectively instilling in students the principles of evidence-based audiology, and their application in clinical practice.

To expand on this theme, let us look at the ACAE Accreditation Standards for the Doctor of Audiology Program, Standard 25:

Student Research & Scholarly Activity: The program must demonstrate that students have knowledge of the fundamentals of research and research design, enabling them to read the professional literature and understand and critically evaluate the concepts related to evidence-based practice. The students must be critical consumers of research and be able to apply this knowledge in evidence-based practice” [Accreditation Standards for the Doctor of Audiology (AuD) Program, p. 9].

Believe it or not, some 30-plus years later, I still remember the exact place where I first heard, or technically read, the phrase “best practices.” The then rather strange term caught my eye as I looked over the program of an upcoming out-of-state speech and hearing convention while standing near the window of my office on the sixth floor of the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. Truthfully, I felt a little anxious as I reread the phrase in an attempt to decipher its meaning. My first thought was that I really should at least have a vague understanding of best practices since I was one of the speakers at the same convention. Also, as director of audiology in a teaching hospital within a large medical center, I was presumably responsible for making sure that our audiology team was following best practices in the provision of diagnostic and rehabilitative services to varied clinical populations.