Project: Using a design thinking approach to create a unique digital tool to assess hearing loss risk from noise and ototoxic exposures.
This project will develop a prototype of a unique digital tool which workers and occupational health professionals could use to obtain feedback on noise exposure at work. Users are asked questions about the tasks they do in a usual day at work and the answers are linked to a database which relates each task with a noise level. Users receive information about how much noise they were exposed to and how they can reduce their risk of hearing damage. The prototype targets welders and the plan is to expand it to other occupations if this prototype is successful. The tool is powered by OccIDEAS, an online international assessment method developed in Australia.
The project leader is Professor Lin Fritschi - John Curtin Distinguished Professor in Epidemiology and a Public Health Physician who has led many large case-control and cohort studies investigating occupational hazards. She is particularly interested in improving the way we assess historical exposure to chemicals at work and has developed a web-based application (OccIDEAS) to assist in this task. Lin will be assisted in this project by Kate Lewkowski who holds degrees in audiology, computer science/ mathematics and public health and has extensive clinical and epidemiological research experience.
