Biopsychosocial Basis of Audiology

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• B - Describe how certain audiological health conditions and commonly associated comorbid conditions manifest and interact at biological, psychological and social levels within the context of the ICF.
• C - Describe and debate current and possible future trends in audiology science and clinical practice from a range of perspectives, including biology, health psychology, public health, culture, ethics and policy.
• A - Explain the international definitions and classifications for function, disability and health (ICF) including how a health condition can lead to biological, psychological and social changes, how that can be influenced by a range of personal and environmental factors and the importance of this for the provision of health care.

Topics covered in this module will include:

• World Health Organisation classification systems and the international definitions and classifications for function, disability and health
• Biopsychosocial effects of audiological disorders
• Basic chemical, cellular and tissue level organisation of the body and the structure and function of a cell
• Basic anatomy, physiology and pathology of the body and the cellular, tissue and system response to disease, explored through audiological case studies, in the context of the ICF. E.g. explore the skeletal system in the context of osteoarthritis with a focus on the audiological impact, such as hearing aid insertion and handling. This format will be repeated across relevant and common syndromes, disorders and diseases.
• Conditions associated or comorbid with hearing loss, including vision loss, vestibular disorders, cognitive decline and cardiovascular disease
• Deaf culture, community and values and their interaction with the ICF.
• Advances in audiology including inheritance (e.g. DNA and genetics including carrier status, clinical genetics) and therapies to achieve regeneration of mammalian auditory hair cells and restoration of their function (e.g. genetic, stem cell and molecular therapies)
• Public health in the context of audiology (e.g. factors that affect the health, inequalities of health, how those factors may be addressed such as through screening, prevention and surveillance programmes, relevant statistical concepts and evidence based medicine)
• Academic skills (co-ordinated with the sessions in Introduction to Hearing Science and Technology) including scientific writing, developing assignments, literature searching, referencing, academic integrity and critically evaluating information from various sources

The main teaching methods will be lectures, seminars, workshops and debates in a formal classroom setting.

These sessions will be a combination of taught content and group work. Group work will involve discussing salient issues with feedback from each group to the whole class. Semester 1 will primarily involve encountering new issues and Semester 2 will involve synthesising, discussing and debating current and future issues relating to the biopsychosocial basis of audiology.

You will work on a formative task in semester 1, the feedback from which will help prepare you for a summative assignment in semester 2.

You will need to work in your own time and in timetabled independent learning sessions in order to supplement lectures and group work. You will be able to meet with the Module Lead for assistance as and when required.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.