Chatbot success at BSA Scientific Meeting!

The annual meeting is an opportunity for researchers and health professionals to get together to share and learn from the latest research and developments in professional practice. 

It was the first opportunity for our CEO Caroline Savage to meet some of the leading people in the tinnitus and audiology field, and she grabbed it with both hands, sitting in on every session. 

The sessions at the Scientific Meeting covered a wide variety of topics, including listening difficulties in children, deaf awareness, accessibility and communication in the NHS, best practice for hearing aid fittings and the clinical application of otoacoustic emissions. Time was also given to discussing the links between hearing health, dementia and cognitive decline. 

The presentation on the next steps in discovering the clinical needs and priorities in tinnitus and hyperacusis was particularly interesting, and in the post-talk discussions with the team behind the talk, we have offered our help to find out more about what people living with tinnitus and hyperacusis think – so there will be a chance for you to be involved in this important research. 

Tinnitus research was also the subject of a second presentation, which discussed the development of a five-year UK action plan for adult hearing loss and tinnitus. Tinnitus UK are members of the working party putting together this action plan. Our own roundtable event and Tinnitus Manifesto were key drivers behind the group coming together. 

A highlight of the Scientific Meeting is the poster exhibition, where researchers and clinicians share a summary of their latest work. Tinnitus UK submitted three posters: ‘A patient perspective on definitions for tinnitus and tinnitus disorder’; ‘A lot to lose: noise exposure and tinnitus in a patient group’ and ‘The experience of Tinnitus UK and their development of Axel, a chatbot for tinnitus support’. We are delighted to say that the chatbot poster won the prize for ‘Best Poster’ and sparked many conversations between the team and attendees. 

We also had many conversations about our new website, new resources and new name, and these were overwhelmingly positive. 

Events like this are a great way of engaging with health professionals and researchers, keeping tinnitus what Tinnitus UK can offer at the front of their minds.