Audiovestibular medicine is the medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis and management of hearing and balance disorders in adults and children. It also involves the management of people with tinnitus, dysacuses (conditions where ordinary sounds produce discomfort or pain) and communication disorders.
In children this will involve diagnosis, aetiological investigation and habilitation for those with permanent childhood hearing loss, speech disorders and balance problems. Most adult patients present with balance disorders, tinnitus or complex hearing problems.
A broad general medical training allows for appropriate investigation and medical management of the wide variety of conditions - of peripheral otological, central nervous system and general medical origin - presenting with audiovestibular symptoms. These include genetic diseases, infections, inflammatory conditions, vasculitis and vasculopathy, and traumatic and metabolic disorders.
Because a high proportion of patients, especially children, have significant comorbidities, and because of the wider impact of their condition, audiovestibular physicians work as part of multidisciplinary teams containing a wide variety of health, education, social work and voluntary professionals. These include audiologists, vestibular rehabilitationists, tinnitus therapists, clinical, educational and family psychologists, otologists, speech and language therapists, educational audiologists, specialist social workers and teachers.
Related RCP publications
- Consultant physicians working with patients, fourth edition (2008)
- Hearing and balance disorders (2008)
Specialty training
For information about specialty training in audiological medicine, please visit the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Postgraduate Training Board (JRCPTB) website.
Specialist society
2010 Consultant Census
The RCP has completed our census of working physicians in 2010. Attached below is a breakdown of the report with results for this specialty.
Patient information
| Resource | Date |
|---|---|
| Consultant physicians working with patients - audiovestibular medicine | 24 January 2012 |
| 2010 Census specialty reports and commentaries | 12 December 2011 |
| 2010 Census summary | 12 December 2011 |
| News | Date |
|---|---|
| 2011 Consultant Census online survey now open | 15 November 2011 |
| Webstreamed events | Date |
|---|---|
| Harveian Oration 2011 | 18 October 2011 |
