“Nobody Has a Caseload Called, Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury ”: Rationale to Include TBI Content Into Audiology Programs

Abstract

Purpose: Understanding the wide-ranging effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI), including posttraumatic auditory and vestibular disturbances, is an essential part of shaping audiology students' readiness for clinical practice. Several recent audiology studies revealed discrepancies in knowledge and application among practicing audiologists in Australia concerning TBI. These studies emphasize the need of exploring the existing TBI-related curriculum within Australian graduate audiology programs. Method: A qualitative research design employing semistructured interviews was conducted. A total of six leading academic educators from all six Australian graduate audiology programs participated in the study. Interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Implementation of TBI content into audiological curricula was found to be influenced by three interrelated themes: professional culture, contextual barriers, and practice of teaching and learning. Conclusions: The findings provide an insight into the perceived barriers associated with incorporating TBI-related content into existing audiology curricula. The findings highlight the importance of enhancing audiology curricula in relation to TBI, ensuring that graduate audiologists can provide high-quality care and management for patients with posttraumatic audiovestibular disturbances.