The Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) and the American Suppressor Association (ASA) jointly recognized the inaugural Ear SHIELD Day, designating October 2nd of each year as a national day to raise awareness of the risks that firearm noise poses to military personnel, sportsmen and women, law enforcement officers, and recreational shooters.
Continue reading at AudiologyOnline
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
No actionable change to clinical practice; this is a public awareness initiative, though audiologists may use the annual date as a hook for noise-induced hearing loss counseling and hearing-protection promotion.
A formal annual awareness day backed by a professional audiology body and an industry association could increase public uptake of firearm hearing-protection measures and drive more patients toward audiological evaluation.
- 01October 2nd designated as Ear SHIELD Day, a new national awareness day.
- 02Joint initiative between the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) and the American Suppressor Association (ASA).
- 03Focus is on preventing noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) from firearm use.
- 04Initiative is awareness-focused with no announced clinical protocols or funding attached.
Firearm noise is a significant cause of preventable hearing loss.
opinionsupported