Bárbara Guimarães Bastos

Internet e educação ao paciente

INTRODUCTION: The process of education of a patient aims to improve knowledge and skill of the patient and/or family, in a way to influence attitudes and behaviors needed to maintain or improve health. Must be a integral part of interpersonal communication between health professionals and patients, and this can happen through interpersonal communication and various other means such as pamphlets, manuals and, more recently, computer resources. GOAL: This update article approach the patient education and the internet potential for this process, still presenting some initiatives in the audiology area. DISCUSSION: The informations, related to health are popular in the internet, and include interactive websites, portals, e-mails, telehealth aplications, and others. The education of the patients supported by the internet can help to solve a big ethical, political and economic issue: the problem to conciliate the needs and the expectations of the patients with the characteristics and limitations of the health system. Although the use of internet in the education of the patient is promising, this is not a solution to be used without careful planning, monitoring and evaluation. In audiology there are few initiatives with the use of e-mails and websites for complement of the patient education. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: The health professionals, including the speech therapists, must check if their patients use internet resources, recognize that behavior change and prepare not only to discuss the information obtained with the patient, but also suggest websites with reliable information and help them to evaluate the quality of the information available online.

Orientação ao usuário de prótese auditiva: retenção da informação

1) Especialista em Audiologia Clinica e Educacional - HRAC/USP. Fonoaudiologa. Politec Saude.2) Doutorado. Professor Doutor.3) Fonoaudiologa. Discente do Programa de Mestrado em Fonoaudiologia da Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru - Universidade de Sao Paulo.Instituicao: Centro de Pesquisas Audiologicas. Hospital de Reabilitacao das Anomalias Craniofaciais - Universidade de Sao Paulo. Campus Bauru.Bauru / SP - Brasil.Endereco para correspondencia: Departamento de Fonoaudiologia. - Al. Octavio Pinheiro Brizolla 9-75 - Vila Universitaria - Baur u / SP - Brasil - CEP: 17012-901 - Telefone:(+55 14) 3235-8332 - E-mail: deborahferrari@usp.brArtigo recebido em 14 de Fevereiro de 2011. Artigo aprovado em 18 de Agosto de 2011.

Ressonância natural da orelha e sua relação com os volumes equivalentes das orelhas externa e média

Summary Introduction: The prevalence of asthma has grown considerably in recent decades, but some studies have shown stabilization of this trend. The masticatory process of asthmatic children may be altered due to asthma-related anatomo-functional changes. Objective: The study objective was to determine the clinical and electromyographic characteristics of the masticatory process in asthmatic children and compare the electrical activities of their masseter and anterior temporal muscles (at rest and during maximal voluntary contraction and mastication) with those of non-asthmatic children. Method: Case study. Asthmatic and non-asthmatic groups, each consisting of 30 children of both sexes between 6 and 10 years of age, were evaluated. Mastication was evaluated clinically and electromyographically in all subjects. RESULTS: The masticatory process did not differ significantly between asthmatic and non-asthmatic children. Conclusion: Although the masticatory process did not differ significantly between asthmatic and non-asthmatic children, the masticatory process of asthmatic children may be altered because of anatomical changes of Asthma.INTRODUCTION: Old age is associated with changes in the characteristics of the middle ear transmission system and in external ear resonance, and these carry implications for the hearing aid (HA) verification process for which targets and measures of the real ear insertion gain (REIG) are used. AIM: To compare the real ear unaided gain (REUG) and the equivalent volumes of the external ear (VeqEE) and the middle ear (VeqME) between elderly and adult patients. METHODS: This is a retrospective study in which the medical records of 28 elderly patients (aged between 61 and 102 years, average hearing thresholds between 38.75 and 85 dB HL) and 23 adult patients (aged 20-59, mean hearing thresholds between 31.25 and 116.25 dB HL) with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and no history of middle ear abnormalities were analyzed. Immittance measurements (VeqEE, VeqME, and pressure of the peak of maximum compliance) and the REUG (frequency and amplitude of the primary peak) were recovered for a total of 40 ears. These data were compared between elderly and adults as well as between men and women, using Students t test. Correlations (Pearson) between immittance and REUG data were also verified. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences (p < 0.01) were found for immittance and REUG data between elderly and adults, or between men and women. A negative and weak but significant correlation was observed between the REUG primary peak and VeqEE. CONCLUSION: Hearing aid verification can be performed with target and measures of the REIG in the elderly population.

Real ear unaided gain and its relation with the equivalent volume of the external and middle ear

Summary Introduction: Old age is associated with changes in the characteristics of the middle ear transmission system and in external ear resonance, and these carry implications for the hearing aid (HA) verification process for which targets and measures of the real ear insertion gain (REIG) are used. Aim: To compare the real ear unaided gain (REUG) and the equivalent volumes of the external ear (VeqEE) and the middle ear (VeqME) between elderly and adult patients. Methods: This is a retrospective study in which the medical records of 28 elderly patients (aged between 61 and 102 years, average hearing thresholds between 38.75 and 85 dB HL) and 23 adult patients (aged 20–59, mean hearing thresholds between 31.25 and 116.25 dB HL) with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and no history of middle ear abnormalities were analyzed. Immittance measurements (VeqEE, VeqME, and pressure of the peak of maximum compliance) and the REUG (frequency and amplitude of the primary peak) were recovered for a total of 40 ears. These data were compared between elderly and adults as well as between men and women, using Students t test. Correlations (Pearson) between immittance and REUG data were also verified. Results: No statistically significant differences (p < 0.01) were found for immittance and REUG data between elderly and adults, or between men and women. A negative and weak but significant correlation was observed between the REUG primary peak and VeqEE. Conclusion: Hearing aid verification can be performed with target and measures of the REIG in the elderly population.