TY - JOUR T1 - Sudden sensorineural hearing loss and bedside phone testing: a guide for primary care JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 144 LP - 145 DO - 10.3399/bjgp20X708761 VL - 70 IS - 692 AU - Shilpa Ojha AU - Arthur Henderson AU - Warren Bennett AU - Matthew Clark Y1 - 2020/03/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/70/692/144.abstract N2 - Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) should be considered an otological emergency yet often goes unrecognised. It can have debilitating long-term effects upon individuals, yet early treatment with steroids has been shown to be effective in helping recovery in what is a time-critical clinical scenario.Recently published National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines indicate that the sudden onset of hearing loss in one or both ears, which is not explained by external or middle-ear causes, is an emergency.1 The guidance states that sudden hearing loss that has developed within the past 30 days needs immediate referral for specialist assessment within 24 hours. If it has developed more than 30 days ago then urgent referral for specialist opinion is required within 2 weeks. While this may be considered ideal, the reality is that such rapid access is often impossible for GPs and ear, nose, and throat (ENT) departments to organise, such that this guidance will prove impractical to many.The aim of this article is to provide a sensible algorithm to help guide GPs to consider when to prescribe oral steroids to treat the SSNHL, as this is the time-critical aspect of … ER -