Audiometers

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Screening audiometers

Diagnostic audiometers

Audiology
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What is an audiometer?

An audiometer is a medical device that is used to evaluate the hearing threshold of a person. An audiologist, doctor, nurse, a qualified occupational health professional or other suitably trained professional uses an audiometer to determine the hearing threshold and to identify as well as quantify the degree of hearing loss present in a process called audiometry.

During audiometry, the audiologist or hearing care professional will use the audiometer to present tones of different frequencies (pitches) at different intensity levels (volumes) to the patient’s ear and the patient will respond via a response button, indicating the tones they have heard.

The objective of audiometry is to find the patients' hearing threshold, which is the lowest level (per frequency) at which the person can hear the stimulus. Results are usually displayed or printed on an audiogram.

What are audiometers used for?

Audiometry can be performed in different manners depending on the application and setting you wish to use it for. Audiometers have different capabilities and are typically classified according to 3 different categories; screening, diagnostic and clinical.

A screening audiometer is used to identify a potential hearing deficiency. A screening hearing test will record a patient’s reaction to pure tones played and  determine if there are signs of a hearing loss. The results of the screening test will then allow the hearing health professional to determine if further examination or tests are required. Learn more about a screening hearing test.

A diagnostic audiometer is used by an audiologist to assess the hearing ability and provides a full evaluation of the patients hearing ability. A diagnostic test is performed after a failed screening test. It is conducted to find out the extent of the hearing loss. It will measure how well the patient hears pure tones and understands speech. The test duration usually takes longer than a screening test. Learn more about a diagnostic hearing test. Learn more about what is involved in an audiometry test.

What is audiometry?

Audiometry is a particular branch of audiology. An audiometry test is performed to determine how well a subject can hear as part of a routine screening or in response to a noticeable loss of hearing using an audiometer.

It is the process of measuring hearing acuity for variations in sound intensity and pitch and for tonal purity, involving thresholds and differing frequencies. A doctor who specialises in diagnosing and treating hearing loss is know as an audiologist, who also administers the test.

The outcome of audiometry, along with additional assessments performed during a hearing assessment, will allow appropriate diagnosis and possible referral for medical treatment or prescription and fitting of a hearing aid.

Why is an audiometry test performed within a workplace environment?

If a person has been regularly subjected to loud noises within their job role, like a police firearms officer or a factory worker using loud machinery therefore an employee’s hearing should be monitored and checked regularly in order to provide them with appropriate protective equipment.

It is also important to assure employees are working correctly and within the appropriate level of hearing ability, that they can hear commands and carry out tasks safely for themselves and their colleagues.

An occupational health specialist would perform a hearing test to the determine the hearing ability of an employee. There are several different types of hearing tests used in audiometry and they can all depend on the employee or the industry they work in.

By law within the UK, a person is protected by the Equality Act 2010 which requires an employer to consider reasonable adjustments within the workplace for deaf or hard of hearing employees. There is government funding available to support employers financially called ‘Access to Work’. Learn more about the impact of noise levels in the workplace.