Auditory Device Research Articles

The impact of auditory advanced driver distraction warning devices on the behaviour of middle-aged drivers along urban roads

Driver distraction is one of the main causes of road crashes worldwide, with a relevant number of collisions, some fatal, especially among middle-aged drivers. In 2019, the European Regulation EU 2019/2144 mandated the installation of Advanced Driver Distraction Warning (ADDW) devices on all new vehicles by 2026. After the confirmation of its effectiveness in motorway driving, this driving simulation study evaluated the effectiveness of an auditory ADDW device in mitigating distraction on urban roads. Thirty middle-aged participants (fifteen females, aged between 25 and 35) were asked to read and respond to text messages on their cell phones, regardless of the device alert. They all drove (i) without being distracted (baseline condition), (ii) while distracted, and (iii) while distracted but supported by the ADDW device. Each participant faced three scenarios: (i) interaction with pedestrians at a mid-block crosswalk, (ii) driving in free-flow conditions on a dual-carriageway arterial, and (iii) driving behind another vehicle.The results revealed a degradation in driving performance and worsening safety conditions. In contrast to what was demonstrated for motorway driving, the ADDW device did not produce significant improvements in driving performance along urban roads. For drivers who continue to text while driving, no positive effect of the ADDW auditory device was observed. Unlike the motorway scenario, the urban environment produces a variety of stimuli that render distracted driving dangerous irrespective of the use of an ADDW.

Auditory filterbank denoising neural network for speech enhancement in wearable auditory device

AbstractIn this study, a speech enhancing neural network (NN) is proposed, which is designed for monaural auditory devices, specifically designed for use in hearing aids. Herein, a 32‐channel auditory filterbank (FB) is first implemented with an algorithm processing delay of 8 ms, which is tailored to meet the requirements of auditory devices. The proposed method primarily aims to integrate a denoising NN within the analysis phase of a uniform polyphase discrete Fourier transform (DFT) FB, aimed at enhancing speech within each band. For the denoising model, complex‐valued convolutional NNs have been applied, specifically targeting the restoration of speech phase information based on the spectral components of the DFT. A multi‐loss method is introduced, which is designed to further account for the loss of analysed speech signals within the split bands during the training process, leveraging the DFT FB strategy. To evaluate the efficacy of the proposed method, objective assessments of speech intelligibility and quality scores are conducted under various noise conditions. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can outperform the existing method across all types of noise.

Validation of the acoustic change complex (ACC) prediction model to predict speech perception in noise in adult patients with hearing loss: a study protocol

BackgroundSpeech perception tests are essential to measure the functional use of hearing and to determine the effectiveness of hearing aids and implantable auditory devices. However, these language-based tests require active participation and are influenced by linguistic and neurocognitive skills limiting their use in patients with insufficient language proficiency, cognitive impairment, or in children. We recently developed a non-attentive and objective speech perception prediction model: the Acoustic Change Complex (ACC) prediction model. The ACC prediction model uses electroencephalography to measure alterations in cortical auditory activity caused by frequency changes. The aim is to validate this model in a large-scale external validation study in adult patients with varying degrees of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) to confirm the high predictive value of the ACC model and to assess its test–retest reliability.MethodsA total of 80 participants, aged 18–65 years, will be enrolled in the study. The categories of severity of hearing loss will be used as a blocking factor to establish an equal distribution of patients with various degrees of sensorineural hearing loss. During the first visit, pure tone audiometry, speech in noise tests, a phoneme discrimination test, and the first ACC measurement will be performed. During the second visit (after 1–4 weeks), the same ACC measurement will be performed to assess the test–retest reliability. The acoustic change stimuli for ACC measurements consist of a reference tone with a base frequency of 1000, 2000, or 4000 Hz with a duration of 3000 ms, gliding to a 300-ms target tone with a frequency that is 12% higher than the base frequency. The primary outcome measures are (1) the level of agreement between the predicted speech reception threshold (SRT) and the behavioral SRT, and (2) the level of agreement between the SRT calculated by the first ACC measurement and the SRT of the second ACC measurement. Level of agreement will be assessed with Bland–Altman plots.DiscussionPrevious studies by our group have shown the high predictive value of the ACC model. The successful validation of this model as an effective and reliable biomarker of speech perception will directly benefit the general population, as it will increase the accuracy of hearing evaluations and improve access to adequate hearing rehabilitation.

Representation of negative numbers: point estimation tasks using multi-reference sonification mappings.

In this study, we examine different approaches to the presentation of Y coordinates in mobile auditory graphs, including the representation of negative numbers. These studies involved both normally sighted and visually impaired users, as there are applications where normally sighted users might employ auditory graphs, such as the unseen monitoring of stocks, or fuel consumption in a car. Multi-reference sonification schemes are investigated as a means of improving the performance of mobile non-visual point estimation tasks. The results demonstrated that both populations are able to carry out point estimation tasks with a good level of performance when presented with auditory graphs using multiple reference tones. Additionally, visually impaired participants performed better on graphs represented in this format than normally sighted participants. This work also implements the component representation approach for negative numbers to represent the mapping by using the same positive mapping reference for the digit and adding a sign before the digit which leads to a better accuracy of the polarity sign. This work contributes to the areas of the design process of mobile auditory devices in human-computer interaction and proposed a methodological framework related to improving auditory graph performance in graph reproduction.

Practical utility of a head-mounted gaze-directed beamforming system.

Assistive auditory devices that enhance signal-to-noise ratio must follow the user's changing attention; errors could lead to the desired source being suppressed as noise. A method for measuring the practical benefit of attention-following speech enhancement is described and used to show a benefit for gaze-directed beamforming over natural binaural hearing. First, participants watched a recorded video conference call between two people with six additional interfering voices in different directions. The directions of the target voices corresponded to the spatial layout of their video streams. A simulated beamformer was yoked to the participant's gaze direction using an eye tracker. For the control condition, all eight voices were spatially distributed in a simulation of unaided binaural hearing. Participants completed questionnaires on the content of the conversation, scoring twice as high in the questionnaires for the beamforming condition. Sentence-by-sentence intelligibility was then measured using new participants who viewed the same audiovisual stimulus for each isolated sentence. Participants recognized twice as many words in the beamforming condition. The results demonstrate the potential practical benefit of gaze-directed beamforming for hearing aids and illustrate how detailed intelligibility data can be retrieved from an experiment that involves behavioral engagement in an ongoing listening task.

Adaptively Responsive Self-Powered Bionic Auditory Device for Sleep Health Monitoring

Adaptively Responsive Self-Powered Bionic Auditory Device for Sleep Health Monitoring

IoT based Fire Alerting Smart System

By combining IoT devices, such as fire alarm systems (smoke and high-temperature sensors), sensors, and other supplementary equipment, the research paper offers the "IOT based Fire Alerting Smart System" in smart buildings. The research article proposes the "IOT based Fire Alerting Smart System" in smart buildings by merging IOT devices such as fire alarm systems (smoke burn with high-temperature sensors), sensors, and other auxiliary equipment. That notification includes the time and location of fire occurs. Comparing two existing smart IoT-based fire warning systems from around the world. The Internet of Things is designed to provide organisations and individuals more visibility, and it now has the ability to govern 99 percent of available surroundings and objects that aren't connected to the Internet. Thus, IOT will be able to accomplish more meaningful work at a higher level by creating opportunities for individuals and businesses so that they can engage more with the outside world more than ever. Old fire alarm systems include many different types of devices that play a particular role in the workings of the system, detecting a person and detecting and wearing out a person through visual and auditory devices in the event of fire, smoke, monoxide carbon or others emergency. These types of alarms can be actuated by manual focus or manual fire alarms, such as suction stations, and can be activated automatically on smoke and heat detectors. The alarm can come with an electric chime. A horn or wall speaker can be a bright tone for a speaker that sounds an alarm; for example, you can add an audio evacuation message to warn you about using the elevator and other warning messages to users.

Understanding Attitudes, Beliefs, Behaviors, and Barriers to Hearing Loss Care Among Hispanic Adults and Caregivers.

Introduction: While 9.5 million U.S. Hispanic adults have hearing loss, limited research has focused on their hearing care experiences. This study examines the attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and barriers to hearing care among Hispanic adult patients with hearing loss (HL) and their caregivers. Methods: In a qualitative study, participants were recruited through community organizations, social media, and word of mouth. Participants were interviewed through virtual platforms and audio recorded. The recording was then transcribed verbatim in Spanish, translated to English, and analyzed using a hybrid deductive and inductive content approach. Results: The 12 participants (age 35-92, 83.3% female) comprised seven individuals with HL and three family caregivers. Most participants attributed HL to aging and genetics, and most shared a stigmatized community attitude toward HL that silenced any discussion of it. Barriers to hearing care included high cost, lack of insurance, and language barriers. These resulted in negative experiences with providers and poor access to hearing tests and auditory devices. Conclusions: The study's findings suggest a need to improve access to comprehensive low-cost hearing services and education in the Hispanic community. Additionally, unique challenges of this community should be addressed to promote hearing health and self-management.

Power output and hearing performance in osseointegrated auditory devices

Background and objectiveOsseointegrated auditory devices are hearing gadgets that use the bone conduction of sound to produce hearing improvement. The mechanisms and factors that contribute to this sound transmission have been widely studied, however, there are other aspects that remain unknown, for instance, the influence of the processor power output. The aim of this study was to know if there is any relationship between the power output created by the devices and the hearing improvement that they achieve. Materials y methods44 patients were implanted with a percutaneous Baha® 5 model. Hearing thresholds in pure tone audiometry, free-field audiometry, and speech recognition (in quiet and in noise) were measured pre and postoperatively in each patient. The direct bone conduction thresholds and the power output values from the processors were also obtained. ResultsThe pure tone average threshold in free field was 39.29 dB (SD = 9.15), so that the mean gain was 29.18 dB (SD = 10.13) with the device. This involved an air-bone gap closure in 63.64% of patients. The pure tone average threshold in direct bone conduction was 27.6 dB (SD = 10.91), which was 8.4 dB better than the pure tone average threshold via bone conduction. The mean gain in speech recognition was 39.15% (SD = 23.98) at 40 dB and 36.66% (SD = 26.76) at 60 dB. The mean gain in the signal-to-noise ratio was -5.9 dB (SD = 4.32). On the other hand, the mean power output values were 27.95 dB µN (SD = 6.51) in G40 and 26.22 dB µN (SD = 6.49) in G60. When analysing the relationship between bone conduction thresholds and G40 and G60 values, a correlation from the frequency of 1000 Hz was observed. However, no statistically significant association between power output, functional gain or speech recognition gain was found. ConclusionsThe osseointegrated auditory devices generate hearing improvement in tonal thresholds and speech recognition, even in noise. Most patients closed the air-bone gap with the device. There is a direct relationship between the bone conduction threshold and the power output values from the processor, but only in mid and high frequencies. However, the relationship between power output and gain in speech recognition is weaker. Further investigation of contributing factors is necessary.

Transcutaneous Osseo-integrated Auditory Devices: Analysis of Two Different Implants in Adults With Different Audiological Inclusion Criteria.

To determine and compare audiological and speech/language discrimination results in patients with osteo-integrated auditory devices, by comparing two different systems including different audiological indications in adult population. Descriptive and analytic, cross-sectional, cohort, and retrospective case review. Tertiary referral center. Fifty patients >14 years old, with conductive, mixed, or unilateral sensorineural hearing loss were compared. The variables studied were the following: pure tone audiometry results, air-bone gap, and the percentage of speech/language discrimination using Disyllabic Word Test. The patients were tested preoperative and 12 months after surgical procedure. Subsequently, a comparative analysis of the both systems was carried out. With both implants, pure tone audiometry results and the difference in auditory thresholds and between the air-bone gap improved significantly. Speech discrimination increased significantly after implantation too. A significant difference was observed after implantation of both devices. Patients implanted with one of the implants showed better audiological results, but no significant differences were found with the other device. So, it was shown that the type of device and the type of hearing loss have no influence on the audiological results or complications. Both implants represent a good choice for audiological rehabilitation in patients with transmissive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss, or unilateral sensorineural hearing loss with a high success and low complication rates.

No hearing without signals: imagining and reimagining transductions through the history of the cochlear implant

ABSTRACT In this article, we explore a set of conceptual and technoscientific shifts that led to reconsiderations of the experience of hearing over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and most specifically, hearing through the use of cochlear implants (CIs). In doing so, we focus on the factors that are thought to contribute to CI users’ experiences of sound, including their potentially distinctive sensoria and neural profiles, as they navigate the spaces of their day-to-day lives as both the bearers of objective audiograms and subjective listeners. These factors are increasingly broad, ranging from age of implantation, electroacoustic stimulation sent from the device, and cognitive profiles considered to correlate with complex developmental processes related to early sound environments and language exposure (oral or manual). Hearing, in this perspective, is a phenomenon that varies between individuals, over the course of the life (or day) of a single person, and according to experiences with auditory devices. Such a conceptualization undermines dichotomous representations of hearing and deafness and an increasingly substantial gray zone emerges between the two. Both are ever more conceived of as developmental processes in which a variety of signals and their transductions are considered central to understandings of how experiences of hearing take shape.

Análisis de la potencia de salida y del rendimiento auditivo de los dispositivos auditivos osteointegrados

Background and objectiveOsseointegrated auditory devices are hearing gadgets that use the bone conduction of sound to produce hearing improvement. The mechanisms and factors that contribute to this sound transmission have been widely studied, however, there are other aspects that remain unknown, for instance, the influence of the processor power output. The aim of this study was to know if there is any relationship between the power output created by the devices and the hearing improvement that they achieve. Materials and methodsForty-four patients were implanted with a percutaneous Baha® 5 model. Hearing thresholds in pure tone audiometry, free-field audiometry, and speech recognition (in quiet and in noise) were measured pre and postoperatively in each patient .The direct bone conduction thresholds and the power output values from the processors were also obtained. ResultsThe pure tone average threshold in free field was 39.29dB (SD 9.15), so that the mean gain was 29.18dB (SD 10.13) with the device. This involved an air-bone gap closure in 63.64% of patients. The pure tone average threshold in direct bone conduction was 27.6dB (SD 10.91), which was 8.4dB better than the pure tone average threshold via bone conduction. The mean gain in speech recognition was 39.15% (SD 23.98) at 40dB and 36.66% (SD 26.76) at 60dB. The mean gain in the signal-to-noise ratio was −5.9dB (SD 4.32). On the other hand, the mean power output values were 27.95dB μN (SD 6.51) in G40 and 26.22dB μN (SD 6.49) in G60. When analysing the relationship between bone conduction thresholds and G40 and G60 values, a correlation from the frequency of 1,000Hz was observed. However, no statistically significant association between power output, functional gain or speech recognition gain was found. ConclusionsThe osseointegrated auditory devices generate hearing improvement in tonal thresholds and speech recognition, even in noise. Most patients closed the air-bone gap with the device. There is a direct relationship between the bone conduction threshold and the power output values from the processor, but only in mid and high frequencies. However, the relationship between power output and gain in speech recognition is weaker. Further investigation of contributing factors is necessary.

Realistic Environment Audiometric Booth: Development and Clinical Validation

Background: Technological developments to treat hearing loss with different types of hearing aids and auditory implants have improved the auditory perception of patients, particularly in highly complex listening conditions. These devices can be fitted and adapted to enhance speech perception. Audiological tests that assess hearing with and without auditory devices have traditionally taken place in sound-attenuated audiometric booths. Although the insights gained from these tests are extremely useful, they do not accurately reflect everyday listening situations, and accurate information about the potential benefits of the hearing device in real acoustic scenarios cannot be established. Consequently, it is difficult to optimize this technology since fitting cannot be customized. Objectives: The aim of this study was to validate an audiological testing method using a new development, the Realistic Environment Audiometric Booth (REAB), in clinical practice. Materials: We used specifically designed software to perform audiological tests in an 8 m² sound-attenuated booth. The REAB was designed to conduct audiological tests in standard testing conditions and in new hearing scenarios that simulate real-life situations since sound can be emitted simultaneously or alternately 360° around the patient, along with 3D images. Methods: Prospective study in which subjects were tested randomly in the REAB and the conventional booth (CB) in free field. Results: 150 subjects were recruited, mean age 56 ± 20.7 years. Auditory outcomes for pure-tone audiometry showed a high correlation; this was also the case for speech audiometries in quiet and in noise. The outcome of the new scenarios with real-life noise was plotted, including the mean values and their confidence intervals. A decreasing trend was observed in the results obtained by the different groups, according to their hearing levels. Conclusions: We have developed and validated a new audiological testing method that enables hearing ability to be assessed in listening conditions similar to those found in real life. The REAB complements the tests performed in CBs, thereby aiding the diagnostic process by reproducing acoustic and visual scenarios that conventional tests do not offer.

Consistency of Using an Auditory Prosthesis Device Post a Sequentially Implanted Cochlear Implant: Data-Logging Evidence.

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to explore: 1) the average use of each device in sequentially implanted cochlear implants; 2) whether the inter-implant duration between implants produced any significant difference in the average use of the second implant; and 3) whether wearing hearing aids before the implantation of the second cochlear implant affects its average use.Materials and methodsThe study included 20 participants with bilateral Nucleus 24 implants (Cochlear Corporation, Lone Tree, CO). Data regarding various variables were extracted and then analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics for Mac, version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY).ResultsThe pediatric group included 14 subjects (average age 7.5 years) while the adult group comprised six subjects (average age 37.5 years). The average use of the second device was 0.9 hours per day more than the first in the pediatric group while it was 1.22 hours per day more in the adult group. We also divided the subjects on the basis of duration between the first and second devices and calculated the average use of each device by them. There was no significant difference (p>0.05). The average use by subjects who did and did not use hearing aids before implantation was also insignificant (p>0.05).ConclusionsNo significant difference between the average use of the first and second implants, between the inter-implant duration of the first and second implants, the average use of the second implant, and between using hearing aids before the implantation of the second device and the average use was observed.

Auditory Device Voice Activity Detection Based on Statistical Likelihood-Ratio Order Statistics

This paper proposes a technique for improving statistical-model-based voice activity detection (VAD) in noisy environments to be applied in an auditory hearing aid. The proposed method is implemented for a uniform polyphase discrete Fourier transform filter bank satisfying an auditory device time latency of 8 ms. The proposed VAD technique provides an online unified framework to overcome the frequent false rejection of the statistical-model-based likelihood-ratio test (LRT) in noisy environments. The method is based on the observation that the sparseness of speech and background noise cause high false-rejection error rates in statistical LRT-based VAD—the false rejection rate increases as the sparseness increases. We demonstrate that the false-rejection error rate can be reduced by incorporating likelihood-ratio order statistics into a conventional LRT VAD. We confirm experimentally that the proposed method relatively reduces the average detection error rate by 15.8% compared to a conventional VAD with only minimal change in the false acceptance probability for three different noise conditions whose signal-to-noise ratio ranges from 0 to 20 dB.

The Efficacy of Visual and Auditory Bird Scaring Techniques using Drone at Paddy Fields

Birds can cause damages to crop and financial losses to farmers and able to spread exotic diseases such as Avian influenza and Newcastle disease to human. Numerous methods have been used in controlling birds, e.g. chemical, auditory, visual and lethal. In this research, visual and auditory methods were applied, where reflective boards and speaker were installed on a drone and were flown at different altitudes and intervals. The scaring approach were divided into five (5) categories; reflective board only, ultrasonic sound, predator sound, combination of reflective board and ultrasonic sound and combination of reflective board and predator sound. The test was conducted at a paddy field plot, Botanical Park, Shah Alam. The findings indicate that combination of visual and auditory techniques scared the highest number of birds. However, the effectiveness gradually decreases as altitude increases. The interval of flight does not show any correlation with the number of birds that flew away. It is recommended to conduct future research far from residential area due the sound from the drone and auditory devices which cause disturbances to residents. Future experiments should be conducted in a control environment, free from human and ground vehicles interruption in order to have better observations on the efficacy of the chosen methods.

Comparison of an Artificial Auditory Device for Conductive Hearing Loss

Comparison of an Artificial Auditory Device for Conductive Hearing Loss

Comparing Tactile to Auditory Guidance for Blind Individuals.

The ability to travel independently is crucial to an individual’s quality of life but compromised by visual impairment. Several navigational aids have been developed for blind people to address this limitation. These devices typically employ auditory instructions to guide users to desired waypoints. Unfortunately, auditory instructions may interfere with users’ awareness of environmental sounds that signal dangers or provide cues for spatial orientation. Accordingly, there is a need to explore the use of non-auditory modalities to convey information for safe and independent travel. Here, we explored the efficacy of a tactile navigational aid that provides turn signals via vibrations on a hip-worn belt. We compared the performance of 12 blind participants as they navigated a series of paths under the direction of the tactile belt or conventional auditory turn commands; furthermore, we assessed the effect of repeated testing, both in the presence and absence of simulated street sounds. A computer-controlled system triggered each turn command, measured participants’ time-to-path-completion, and detected major navigational errors. When participants navigated in a silent environment, they performed somewhat worse with the tactile belt than the auditory device, taking longer to complete each trial and committing more errors. When participants navigated in the presence of simulated street noises, the difference in completion time between auditory and tactile navigation diminished. These results suggest that tactile navigation holds promise as an effective method in everyday environments characterized by ambient noise such as street sounds.

Standardization of the Punch Technique for the Implantation of Bone Anchored Auditory Devices: Evaluation of the MIPS Surgical Set.

To describe and assess intraoperative and postoperative outcomes in the insertion of osseointegrated auditory implants with a newly designed surgical instrumentation set through a punch type technique. Retrospective case series. Patients who underwent bone anchored auditory implant surgery using the Minimally Invasive Ponto Surgery (Oticon Medical, Somerset, NJ) surgical set through a punch technique at nine neurotology tertiary referral based practices were identified. Demographic data, skin thickness at implant site, implant used, duration of surgery, adverse intraoperative events, and postoperative outcomes were recorded. Seventy-five patients comprised the study cohort (32 males, 43 females). Most patients (57. 3%) were aged 51 to 75 years while 30.7% of the cohort comprised those aged 18 to 50 years and 12% were over 75 years. All but two patients received 4 mm fixtured implants and 68% received the Oticon Medical BioHelix implant. Two patients received 3 mm fixture implants and 32% received the Oticon Medical Wide Ponto implant. Mean surgical time was 12.2 minutes (6-45 min, standard deviation of 6.88 min). In three instances, surgery was converted to a linear incision to control brisk bleeding. Skin condition was Holgers 0 to 1 in 91.8%, while 5.5% had Holgers 2, and 2.7% had Holgers 3 at the first postoperative visit. At second postoperative visit, 94.3% had Holgers 0 to 1, 4.3% had Holgers 2, and 1.4% had Holgers 3. All instances of adverse skin reactions were treated with topical or systemic antibiotics and/or local debridement. There were no instances of implant loss. One patient had his implant traumatically displaced to a 45-degree angle necessitating implant replacement at a second site. Punch technique placement of osseointegrated auditory implants using the Minimally Invasive Ponto Surgery surgical set represents a safe technique that further simplifies a progressively minimally invasive surgery.

Environmental methods used by veterinary centres to reduce stress of cats and dogs during practice visits

Background:The veterinary practice can be a stressful environment for pets. The stress animals experience when visiting the practice can impact on health, welfare and the likelihood of owners regularly visiting the practice. A number of different approaches have been suggested to be beneficial in reducing stress at the veterinary practice however the methods that practices use to try and reduce stress in animals during veterinary visits, and the reasons for the use of these approaches, has not been determined.Aim:The aim of this study was to determine what methods veterinary practices in the UK use to try to reduce stress in animals during veterinary visits, and gather the views of veterinary staff on the efficacy of these practices.Method:Veterinary practices in the UK (n=45) completed an online mixed methods questionnaire providing information on the practice's use of separate waiting rooms, treat feeding, rehearsal visits, correct handling of animals, appeasing pheromones and sensory enrichment. The reasons why these approaches were or were not used, and the participants' views on whether these practices reduced stress during veterinary visits were also determined.Results:The majority of practices surveyed fed treats to animals during veterinary visits, offered rehearsal visits to animals and their owners, used appeasing pheromones in the practice and stated that they used correct handling techniques for different species during consultations. In addition, the majority of practices surveyed did not have more than one waiting room or use a television or auditory device to try and reduce stress in animals during veterinary visits. The majority of participants believed that separate waiting rooms, rehearsal visits, treat feeding, appeasing pheromones, sensory enrichment and correct handling can reduce stress in animals during veterinary visits.Conclusion:A range of methods are used by veterinary practices within the UK to attempt to reduce stress in animals during veterinary visits. Greater consideration of methods to facilitate separation of species where distinct waiting rooms are not feasible, for example via implementing appointments for cats and dogs on different days and times, would be beneficial. In addition, veterinary staff should consider utilising classical or specially designed species-specific music in the veterinary practice as this may help mitigate the stress of cats and dogs visiting the practice.