Lene Dahl Siggaard Email and Phone Number

I have had the privilege of working with exceptionally competent and devoted colleagues throughout the early stages of my clinical research career. I firmly believe that the key to achieving outstanding results lies not only in diligent effort but also in the support and motivation offered by an exemplary team. My previous research, conducted in conjunction with the Danish ENT Specialist Organisation's research unit (DOENHOF), involved analyzing the utility of ePRO-data as a diagnostic tool for symptom relief in children suffering from otitis media and undergoing tympanostomy tube (TT) insertion. We also examined adherence to ENT specialist guidelines and the effect of TT insertion on parental sick leave from the workforce. In November 2023 I defended my PhD thesis titled "Remote Assessment in Adult Potential First-Time Hearing Aids Users" in which my team and I conducted a randomized controlled trial involving 751 participants testing a digital, remote ENT specialist assessment routine. The project was a joint collaboration between the Danish Health Data Authority and the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, and Audiology at Aalborg University Hospital in the North Denmark Region between 2020-2022. We found that remote ENT specialist assessment screening before HA treatment did not compromise patient safety nor diminish self-reported HA benefit and treatment satisfaction when compared to traditional in-person ENT specialist screening. Remote assessment in hearing healthcare holds the potential to offset the challenges posed by anticipated demographic shifts, such as the growth of the population aged 65 and above, and the escalating demand for hearing rehabilitation in the future.The research results have garnered political interest and have laid the foundation for the establishment of a cross-regional steering committee appointed by Danish Regions and tasked with organizing test-setups of remote assessment in hearing healthcare in all Danish Regions in 2024 focusing of national implementation. I will be venturing this new and exciting chapter of testing and potentially implementing this novel screening routine nationally the coming year.