Nasal Obstruction — FFP3 Respirators and Ears - Effects on Middle Ear Pressure and Hearing
Citation(s)
Corey RM, Jones U, Singer AC Acoustic effects of medical, cloth, and transparent face masks on speech signals. J Acoust Soc Am. 2020 Oct;148(4):2371. doi: 10.1121/10.0002279.
McCoul ED, Anand VK, Christos PJ Validating the clinical assessment of eustachian tube dysfunction: The Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire (ETDQ-7). Laryngoscope. 2012 May;122(5):1137-41. doi: 10.1002/lary.23223. Epub 2012 Feb 28.
Muzzi E, Chermaz C, Castro V, Zaninoni M, Saksida A, Orzan E Short report on the effects of SARS-CoV-2 face protective equipment on verbal communication. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021 Sep;278(9):3565-3570. doi: 10.1007/s00405-020-06535-1. Epub 2021 Jan 3.
FFP3 Respirators and Ears - Effects on Middle Ear Pressure and Hearing
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
