Hearing screening for school children: comparison of low‐cost, computer‐based and conventional audiometry

Child: Care, Health and Development - Tập 36 Số 3 - Trang 323-331 - 2010
Bradley McPherson1, Michelle Law2, ML Wong2
1The Univ. of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
2Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

Tóm tắt

AbstractBackground  There is a need to develop affordable but effective audiometric screening equipment, particularly for use in low‐income countries. With advances in computer technology, low‐cost computer‐based audiometer software has been developed. However, the efficacy of computer‐based audiometers in hearing screening and diagnostic assessment requires investigation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of a low‐cost, computer‐based audiometric system in a school‐based hearing screening programme.Methods  Eighty children were screened using the computer‐based audiometer and with a conventional pure tone screening audiometer. Overall refer rates, as well as frequency and age effects on the accuracy of the computer‐based audiometer, were considered.Results  There was a significant relationship between the low‐cost, computer‐based audiometer and a conventional pure tone audiometer when a 40 dBHL refer criterion was used in school hearing screening and when test results at 500 Hz were excluded from analysis. However, background noise effects and software limitations in the computer‐based system had major adverse effects on screening performance.Conclusions  The study results and preliminary practical experience with the system suggest that, with further software and hardware improvements, a low‐cost, computer‐based system may well be feasible for routine school screening in developing countries.

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Child: Care, Health and Development

Tập 36 Số 3

323-331

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