Investigators: Chris Brennan-Jones, Peter Richmond
External collaborators: Peter Morris (Menzies School of Health Research), Mahmood Bhutta (Perth Children's Hospital; Oxford University), Shyan Vijayasekaran (Perth Children's Hospital), Martin Burton (Oxford University), Anne Schilder (University College London), Tom Snelling (University of Sydney), Karen Head (Cochrane Collaboration)
We are examining what non-surgical treatments are available for people with a discharging ear and how effective they are. The treatment practices vary widely across different countries, regions and populations. This issue is important because discharging ears are the leading cause of hearing loss and is very common in Aboriginal children and in low-middle income countries. We will put the results together for each treatment once we have identified all the studies that are available. By combining the results of similar studies carried out across the world we can provide a more accurate assessment of whether a particular intervention works or how well it works when compared to other interventions. The results from this study will help establish the best treatments for a discharging ear.