Ear Health

General Clinic | Pharmacy | Ear Health | Rheumatic Heart Disease | Aged Care

As part of the clinic, and therefore funded by the Northern Territory Government through the Department of Health and Community Services, we provide specialist services in relation to ear health.

The prevalence of ear disease and subsequent hearing loss is far greater amongst Aboriginal people than amongst the general Australian population.

High rates amongst Aboriginal children are of particular concern, given the implications this has on their speech and language development and learning.

Otitis media is one such disease. In Aboriginal people in particular, this is often complicated by perforation of the eardrum, and the discharge of purulent material. Pain is often absent, so patients may delay seeking treatment.

In such circumstances, opportunistic observation of the ears as part of the standard clinic consultation is often the first step in identification and diagnosis. After initial and immediate treatment, clients are recorded in the Patient Information Recall System for follow up treatment and management by the specialist ear clinic.

At present, ear clinics are conducted one day per week, staffed by the Ear Health Aboriginal Health Worker, and attended by one of our General Practitioners.

Video otoscopy is available, enabling clients to see first hand the extent of damage done by disease. We also perform screening-level audiometry in testing for hearing loss, and as appropriate, clients are referred for more formal audiometry.