PP1318 - Traditional vs. Web-Based Audiometry: A Comparative Study

POSTERS

Location: Halls A1-A2

Instructional Level: Intermediate

Lead Presenter(s)

EC

Emily K. Cullum, BS (they/them/theirs/she/her/hers)

University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky

Disclosure(s): No financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

PDF Handouts Slides

Presenter(s)

LG

Laura N. Galloway, AuD

Assistant Professor
University of Louisville
University of Louisville

Disclosure(s): No financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

Contributor (Not Presenting)(s)

CM

Camryn McClure

University of Louisville

Disclosure(s): No financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.
BL

Bailey LaPaugh

University of Louisville Audiology

Disclosure(s): No financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.
SM

Shae D. Morgan, AuD, PhD

Associate Professor
University of Louisville
University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky

Disclosure(s): No financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

Abstract: In this presentation, we will discuss audiometric calibration and validation of web-based audiometers. Web-based audiometry is a potentially disruptive innovation for hearing health diagnostic testing and screening. Creating a calibrated, web-based audiometer with the same functionalities as traditional systems involves adherence to strict guidelines and validation with varying listener populations. Some considerations include, but are not limited to, calibration, transducer selection, audio interfaces for different computer makes/models, and comparing thresholds to existing equipment. Validation is based on the American National Standards Institute S3.6 (2018) standard. Discussion will surround the viability of web-based audiometry and its role in future clinical applications.

Summary: While traditional audiometry equipment plays an invaluable role in hearing healthcare, it has limitations. These include substantial expenses associated with purchasing and calibrating audiometers and poor portability of larger systems, resulting in reduced accessibility and limited applications in remote care. A web-based audiometer may serve as a fully functional, highly portable audiometry option that could reduce clinic costs and increase accessibility of hearing healthcare services in rural and remote populations. Currently, we are only aware of one web-based audiometer on the market, which will be introduced in this presentation. When properly calibrated, a web-based audiometer could dually operate as a screening device or a diagnostic tool. In this study, we present general considerations and limitations surrounding web-based audiometry alongside an example of an experimental Type 3, web-based audiometer that adheres to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) S3.6 standard (2018). We will present calibration data collected over several months from the web-based audiometer applied to multiple laptop and desktop computer configurations, verifying stable calibration levels when used on each device. Listeners with normal hearing completed standard pure-tone air conduction testing from 250-8000 Hz on the web-based audiometer as well as two traditional audiometers (GSI AudioStar Pro; Interacoustics AA222) using supra-aural earphone transducers. We will report consistency in thresholds obtained among the three audiometers. We will discuss existing challenges and limitations in the implementation and use of web-based audiometry, as well as potential applications and future directions for this work.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion, participants will be able to describe traditional audiometry, explain web-based audiometry, and assess the applications for both.