Translational Research in Audiology: Presence in the Literature

Abstract

Translational research is a process that focuses on advancing basic research-based clinical solutions and is characterized by a structured process accelerating the implementation of scientific discoveries in healthcare. Translational research originated in oncology but has spread to other disciplines in recent decades. A translational project may refer to pharmacological research, the development of non-pharmacological therapies, or to disease monitoring processes. Its stages are divided into basic research focused on the clinical problem (T0), testing the developed means in humans (T1), conducting trials with patients (T2), implementation and dissemination of successful approaches (T3), and improving community health (T4). Many audiological studies are translational in nature. Accordingly, this scoping review aimed to evaluate the use of the terms "translational audiology" and "translational research in audiology" in the literature and examine the goals of the identified studies. PubMed and Web of Science search identified only two publications meeting the search criteria. We conclude that identifying translational audiological studies in the literature may be hampered by the lack of use of the terms "translational audiology" or "translational research". We suggest using these terms when describing translational work in audiology, with a view to facilitating the identification of this type of research and credit it appropriately.

Keywords: audiology; translational audiology; translational research; translational science.

Figure 1

Types of translational research based on the description by Wichman et al. (2021) [2]. Created with BioRender.com.

Figure 2

PRISMA flowchart visualizing the search and selection process. * Databases used: PubMed and Web of Science; ** reasons for exclusion: topic outside the scope of the review.