Audiometry

Why choose Amplivox for your audiometry instruments?

With audiometry tests required across a wide range of industries to determine hearing ability, we endeavour to supply cost-effective screening and diagnostic audiometers offering both automatic and manual audiometry to monitor occupational health, as well as primary care audiometric requirements.

What is a hearing screening test?

A hearing screening test is the assessment used to identify a potential hearing deficiency, conducted within a quiet environment. Hearing screening is therefore conducted when a hearing loss is suspected, to isolate possible hearing loss in new born children, in first year school children, or in industrial hearing screening. Pure tone audiometry is the most common choice to evaluate hearing at a number of set frequencies.

With the help of an audiometer, the tester (a doctor, a nurse or a health professional) presents a tone to one or both ears of the patient. The tester increases and decreases the intensity of the stimulus at various frequencies and records the patient’s response. During screening audiometry, tones across the speech spectrum — mostly between 500 and 4000 Hz — are presented. The test results will give the audiologist important information to determine if a referral is required for a further treatment.

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’. To find out more, visit gov.uk or visit Action on Hearing Loss charity.

What is audiology?

Audiology is a branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders. In audiology, audiologists treat those with hearing loss and proactively prevent related damage. By employing various testing strategies, audiologists aim to determine whether someone has normal sensitivity to sounds or if there is some hearing loss.

What is audiometry?

Audiometry is the process of measuring a patient’s hearing acuity. Everyone should take a hearing test at some point in their life. New-born screening tests are conducted as soon as a child is born. This is because treating a hearing loss at an early age helps a child to learn how to speak. As we get older, our hearing ability changes and so it's important that hearing tests are conducted regularly.

Hearing tests may also identify other underlying health issues so it's important to check a person’s hearing ability with regular testing and with a qualified audiologists or hearing health professional.

What does audiometry measure?

An audiometer is used to measure the patient's response to different sounds depending on different sound levels, as well as distinguishing speech with or without background noise at different sound levels.

If a person has a sudden loss of hearing ability, a noticeable hearing loss in one or both ears, has a history of ear infections or has recently had surgery to the head, then it is recommended to see a medical professional for a hearing test to check their hearing health is ok.

How do audiometry tests work?

With the use of an audiometer, an audiologist or healthcare professional will be able to measure a person’s hearing ability by playing different sounds (for instance tones or speech) with the aim to diagnose a hearing loss which may have been caused by disease or injury. These results are usually displayed or printed on an audiogram.

A hearing test is usually carried out by a specifically trained medical professional like a doctor or nurse, an audiologist or a qualified occupational health professional. These professionals have an excellent understanding of the biology of the ear, the science of hearing and the knowledge to measure and diagnose a patient’s hearing ability. 

In audiometry, what are screening and diagnostic tests used for?

A screening hearing test is used to determine if there are signs of a hearing loss, it will record a patient’s reaction to pure tones played. The results of the screening test will then allow the hearing health professional to determine if further examination or tests are required.

A diagnostic test is performed after a failed screening test. It is conducted to find out the whys, hows and the extent of the hearing loss. A diagnostic audiometer is used by the audiologist to assess the hearing ability and provides a full evaluation of the patients hearing ability. It will measure how well the patient hears pure tones and understands speech.

The test duration usually takes longer than a screening test in order to assess the entire patient's hearing ability.