The field of Danish audiology: A historical perspective

Abstract

This contribution briefly describes the history of Danish audiology during the last 50–60 years from the establishment of the National Hearing Health Services (NHHS). Progress within the field is framed according to the theory of Bourdieu which challenges the present concept of evidence based medicine and health technology assessment (HTA). The humanistic field has recently been re-introduced due to the international impact of the WHO-ICF, in contrast to the former exclusion of this field from the NHHS. The major impact from the political field, resulting in a partial privatization, is regarded as potentially leading to a reduction of future research and training within audiology. In contrast, the political field considers it as an improvement despite the substantial increase in costs for the state.