When should I refer a patient with sudden sensorineural hearing loss to an ENT specialist?

When referring a patient with sudden sensorineural hearing loss to an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist, the urgency of the referral depends on the timeline of the hearing loss ¹.

• Immediate Referral (within 24 hours): Refer immediately to an ENT service or an emergency department if the hearing loss developed suddenly (over a period of 3 days or less) within the past 30 days ¹,².
• Urgent Referral (within 2 weeks):
  • If the hearing loss developed suddenly more than 30 days ago, refer urgently to an ENT or audiovestibular medicine service ¹,².
  • If the hearing loss worsened rapidly (over a period of 4 to 90 days), refer urgently to an ENT or audiovestibular medicine service ¹,².

It is important to first exclude external or middle ear causes, such as impacted wax or acute infections like otitis externa, before making these referrals ¹.