Introduction
The Scottish Section was set-up at the foundation of IHR in 1978, and is based in Glasgow Royal Infirmary. It employs a mix of NHS clinicians, scientists, and research and administrative support. The Section receives equal funding from the Medical Research Council and from the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Executive Health Department.
Current Research
The mission of the Scottish Section of the MRC Institute of Hearing Research ("IHR") is to provide a scientific underpinning and evidence base for the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of hearing healthcare services. It conducts multidisciplinary research into audition, its interactions with cognition, how it may be impaired, the disabilities and handicaps so caused, and how the NHS delivers health-care to those who suffer from hearing problems. All this is done using experimental and self-report methods drawn from fundamental psychoacoustics, cognitive science, and health-services research.
Previous Research
Earlier studies at the MRC Institute of Hearing Research have revealed how common hearing problems are in the population. Over 16% of adults suffer from hearing impairment that is severe enough to reduce their quality of life, reduce their ability to communicate with other people, or lead to auditory handicap. Moreover, the proportion of people in the population with impaired hearing increases rapidly with age (e.g. in Scotland, the average age of the first-time user of clinical or hospital audiological services is 74). Only one-third of people who could benefit from a hearing aid even approach the hospital. Of those who have been given a hearing aid, one-third either do not use their hearing-aids or use them ineffectively, and two-thirds of hearing-aid users suffer significant residual disability.