Medical-Legal Evaluation of Hearing Loss, Third Edition

Details: 419 pages, Illustrated (B/W), Hardcover, 7 x 10" 1 lbs

Illustrations: 56

ISBN13: 978-1-59756-714-5

Release Date: 15/07/2015

Medical-Legal Evaluation of Hearing Loss, Third Edition includes the most accurate and current developments in the field with more than 250 new references. A comprehensive guide on hearing loss and the law, it examines claims, court cases, and the evolution of hearing conservation. This text addresses age-related hearing loss, genetics of hearing loss, and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) - with a newly revised international standard (ISO-1999, 2013) that presents a comprehensive predictive model for NIHL, critical in medical-legal evaluation. Also examined is hearing loss due to toxins, trauma, and disease, as well as the effects of cardiovascular risk factors, race, and socioeconomic status. Furthermore, included tutorial discussions of acoustics, hearing, and hearing testing will be valuable to attorneys and other nonclinicians.

New or expanded topics include:

• The relationship of hearing loss to brain disorders
• Job fitness
• Accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act
• Blast injury
• Recreational music and hearing loss
• Hypothesis of progressive NIHL after noise cessation
• Solvent ototoxicity
• Appropriate exchange rate for predicting noise hazard
• The American Medical Association's method of measurement of hearing disability

This new edition provides practical guidance for expert witnesses and legal practitioners and is essential for otolaryngologists, audiologists, occupational physicians, attorneys handling hearing loss claims, and claims management professionals.

Reviewer comments on first and second editions:

SECOND EDITION

Committee on Publications, ACOEM, 2005, JOEM
This text covers all aspects of hearing loss claims and court cases for physicians, attorneys, employers, and insurance professionals. It provides practical guidance for medical witnesses on hearing loss evaluation, diagnosis, allocation, and reporting. Legal professionals are briefed on how to accurately interpret medical-legal information for expert testimony.

Thomas R. Jaeger, 2002, NHCA Spectrum
Medical-Legal Evaluation of Hearing Loss is the ideal text and resource for the expert witness in his or her preparation for trial. An excellent text and reference for the student of the hearing sciences and the practicing clinician who deals with patients and clients. As an audiologist, I consider it a must have for my library.

Alex Sanchez, 2002, JOEM
Occupational physicians who are even tangentially involved in hearing conservation will find that this book is an invaluable resource. It should be on every occupational physician’s bookshelf.

Moises A. Arriaga, 2001, Otology and Neurotology
Despite its length, this reference is quite readable, and the material is presented in a logical, organized fashion. Medical-Legal Evaluation of Hearing Loss is an excellent textbook that summarizes the state of the art of medicolegal evaluation of hearing loss. It is a necessity for any physician who evaluates patients with hearing loss but will also be useful for audiologists, hearing conservationists, technicians, and even legal professionals who are involved in this area of the law.

Peter W. Alberti, Ear & Hearing, 2001
This book is a lucid exposition of an essentially dry subject with good discussion and in relatively nontechnical language. For the potential US assessor, lawyer, and expert witness in NIHL, this book is a must. It stands alone in its field. It is an accessible, useful resource for the audience for which it is designed. It deserves to be on the shelf of anyone working with adults with impaired hearing and certainly belongs in every clinic and medical school library. I enjoyed reading it and congratulate the author on presenting simply (but not simplistically) a difficult topic.

Robert A. Goldenberg 2001, CAOHC Update
A wonderfully comprehensive and current revision of his excellent book first published in 1993. Dr. Dobie, through his thoughtful and extensive knowledge of the medical-legal process for hearing loss, has added immeasurably to the field.

FIRST EDITION

John H Mills, 1994, Ear & Hearing
It is a must read for anyone involved in the medical-legal aspects of hearing loss. Overall, this is a well-written, easily read book which is required reading for anyone with an interest in the medical-legal aspects of hearing loss.

Cyril H Wecht, 1996, Am J Forensic Med Path
Every health care professional who deals with the auditory system in any way should read this well-written, extensively documented, and thoroughly researched book. Extensive array of information set forth by the distinguished author and several professional colleagues. All these aspects are discussed in a lucid style that educates and informs the reader about this important subject.

Robert A Williams, JOM, 1994
The text is easy to read, and certainly met its stated objectives. A welcome addition to my library.

Douglas W Robinson, Occ Environ Med 1995
Unique in its multidisciplinary coverage. The book should be compulsory reading for every professional called upon to provide expert testimony on hearing loss. The author's novel median approach strikes a sensible balance, a delight to read.

W. Dixon Ward, 1995 (Dr. Ward is now deceased) J Acoust Soc Am
This is an excellent reference book for anyone connected with compensation claims. Technically, the book is near perfect.

Dennis G Pappas, 1994, Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology
In providing solutions to some of the growing number of problems associated with acoustic trauma and noise-induced hearing loss, he provides a book that should have enormous impact. There is an excellent review of the literature in every chapter. This is an excellent reference text, and should be in the library of anyone involved in the evaluation and management of hearing loss patients.

Reviews

• Chris Koros, Audiology Now, The Official Magazine of Audiology Australia (Jan 2017):
  "The text is precisely written and skilfully uses referenced material and case studies to deliver its complex lessons. The skill however is in how it melds together the clinical and legal standpoints."

• Mr John S Phillips FRCS (ORL-HNS), Consultant ENT Surgeon, Ear, Nose and Throat Department, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Foundation Trust; Norfolk, UK., ENT & Audiology News (December 2015):
  "Robert Dobie is a highly experienced and respected international authority in the field of medical-legal assessment in the context of noise induced hearing loss. This book has been written for a broad audience, including otolaryngologists, audiologists and members of the legal profession. Unlike other texts in this field, the language is very accessible without too much emphasis on engineering terms or mathematics; something that I have often found difficult to understand. This book includes chapters on acoustics and the scope of audiometry (including exaggerated hearing loss); impairment; handicap and disability: and the effects of different types of noise, age and diseases on hearing loss, together with an outline of the factors that determine individual susceptibility to noise and age....When compared with other similar textbooks, I would have no hesitation in recommending Dobie's book to both beginners and experts in this field."

• Antony Joseph, Editor, CAOHC Update e-Newsletter (2016):
  "....This exceptional book includes the most accurate and current developments in the field with more than 250 new references. A comprehensive guide on hearing loss and the law, Medical-Legal Evaluation of Hearing Loss examines claims, court cases, and the evolution of hearing conservation. It extensively addresses age-related hearing loss, genetics of hearing loss, and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) with a newly revised international standard (ISO-1999, 2013) that presents a comprehensive predictive model for NIHL, critical in medical-legal evaluation. Also examined is hearing loss due to toxins, trauma, and disease as well as the effects of cardiovascular risk factors, race, and socioeconomic status. Dr. Dobie has included tutorial discussions of acoustics, hearing, and hearing testing - a valuable resource for attorneys, paraprofessionals, and other non-clinicians."

• Donald Bruce Kirchner, MD, MPH, FACOEM, Spectrum newsletter of the National Hearing Conservation Association (April 2016):
  "...It is clear that this book would be an invaluable resource for anyone involved in litigating or serving as an expert witness in hearing loss cases. But there is even more. As an occupational medicine physician, I found the chapters discussing hearing loss to be intriguing, in that Dr. Dobie provides an objective evaluation of these subjects so that the reader can really understand the scientific basis for the current practice of hearing loss prevention. I also applaud Dr. Dobie for pointing out the many inconsistencies in data and his illumination of controversies in these hearing loss subjects...This book clearly accomplishes its stated objective. I feel it is an invaluable text for those involved in hearing loss issues, and from my perspective, noise-induced hearing loss. This book joins the AIHA "Noise Manual", CAOHC's "Hearing Conservation Manual", and Vishakha Rawool's "Hearing Conservation" as essentials in understanding this subject."

• Thomas Thunder, Acoustic Associates, Ltd., Huntely, IL, USA Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA, International Journal of Audiology (June 2017):
  "This book is clearly written with professionals in mind. Each chapter is clearly and accurately titled and the body reads easily and is logically organised. The first few chapters are basic for audiologists as they review the basic of acoustics, ear anatomy, and hearing testing. Chapter 4 is a good discussion on exaggerated hearing loss written by the late Jack Synder and lightly edited by Dobie. (For a more thorough discussion of the topic, I recommend Pseudohypacusis: False and Exaggerated Hearing Loss by James Peck (2011) - also by Plural Publishing). . . . In summary, this book is a good read for audiologists who find themselves becoming immersed in the legal world of hearing loss."