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Audiometry (from Latin audīre 'to hear' and metria 'to measure') is a branch of audiology and the science of measuring hearing acuity for variations in sound intensity and pitch and for tonal purity, involving thresholds and differing frequencies. [1]
The word "Audiometrist" is derived from the word Audiometry, as distinct from Audiology.However, the title audiometrist is often used interchangeably with the role of audiologists, thereby making a precise definition of the word more difficult.
Portable audiometer Maico, circa 1960s. An audiometer typically transmits recorded sounds such as pure tones or speech to the headphones of the test subject at varying frequencies and intensities, and records the subject's responses to produce an audiogram of threshold sensitivity, or speech understanding profile.
The standard and most common type of hearing test is pure tone audiometry, which measures the air and bone conduction thresholds for each ear in a set of 8 standard frequencies from 250Hz to 8000Hz. The test is conducted in a sound booth using either a pair of foam inserts or supraural headphones connected to an external audiometer.
Pure-tone audiometry is a subjective, behavioural measurement of a hearing threshold, as it relies on patient responses to pure tone stimuli. [3] Therefore, pure-tone audiometry is only used on adults and children old enough to cooperate with the test procedure.
Audiogram showing a typical "noise notch" in the left ear (normal hearing in the right ear) "Conventional" pure tone audiometry (testing frequencies up to 8 kHz) is the basic measure of hearing status. [6]
The absolute threshold of hearing (ATH), also known as the absolute hearing threshold or auditory threshold, is the minimum sound level of a pure tone that an average human ear with normal hearing can hear with no other sound present. The absolute threshold relates to the sound that can just be heard by the organism.
An audiologist is a health care provider specializing in identifying, diagnosing, treating, and monitoring disorders of the auditory and vestibular systems.Audiologists are trained to diagnose, manage and/or treat hearing, tinnitus, or balance problems.