Best of five
- A. No support until grommets are inserted
- B. Long-term oral decongestants
- C. Practical listening strategies and consideration of temporary hearing support
- D. Exclude the child from noisy lessons
- E. Prophylactic antibiotics for months
FRCS (ORL-HNS) · SECTION 1 SBA
OME hearing support
A child with persistent bilateral OME-related hearing loss is awaiting a surgical decision and is struggling at school. What intervention should be offered now?
C. Practical listening strategies and consideration of temporary hearing support
NICE recommends immediate supportive measures rather than leaving the child unaided during observation. Remote microphone systems, air-conduction aids or bone-conduction devices can be individualised.
Why every option is right or wrong
A. No support until grommets are inserted: Development and classroom access should not be deferred.
B. Long-term oral decongestants: They are not recommended for OME.
C. Practical listening strategies and consideration of temporary hearing support: NICE recommends immediate supportive measures rather than leaving the child unaided during observation. Remote microphone systems, air-conduction aids or bone-conduction devices can be individualised.
D. Exclude the child from noisy lessons: Environmental adaptation should enable participation, not remove education.
E. Prophylactic antibiotics for months: OME is not managed with prolonged antibiotics.
What if the scenario changed?
If hearing normalised at reassessment, devices could be withdrawn while monitoring functional progress.
Independent Clinora educational preparation material; not official JCIE content, an accredited programme, clinical advice, or a substitute for current guidance, local policy and specialist judgement.
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