A Look Into The Features Of An Audiometer

By Tiffany Gill


An Audiometer is a special device which is used in evaluating hearing loss problems. Moreover, this device is used in in the general diagnosis of ENT problems. The instrument is uniquely calibrated to capture the exact data during hearing loss evaluation. The calibration is done in decibels as they are the standard units for measuring the intensity of sound. Calibration of this device needs to be done on regular basis. Doing this ensures that it gives error free results. Moreover, a good calibrated device will always give consistent results which can be trusted in analyzing hearing loss intensity of a patient.

The audiometer resembles a pair of headphones. It is connected to a computer which controls its operation. A special button, which gives feedback signals as received from the patient, is also embedded in the device. During operation, the response of a patient to different frequencies is displayed in the computer which is subsequently used to plot an audiogram. The audiogram is keenly analyzed to determine the range which a patient can react to different sound frequencies.

An audiogram is basically a graph of the intensity of the sound in decibels against the reaction frequency in hertz. This graph is drawn with the aid of a computer. The graph will then be analyzed carefully by a medical specialist to determine at what range the patient is able to react to the sound frequencies. This will guide the specialist in administering treatment to the patient.

If you decide to shop for an audiometer, you will either go for the software or the hardware type. The software type is most common in homes and educational institutions. It uses special developed software which is installed in a computer. Data fed into this software gives the hearing range of the patient under test.

Hardware devices on the other contain an embedded unit which is connected next to the headphones. This unit is linked with a special button which gives feedback signal to the device during operation. This device is relatively expensive than the software type as it gives results of higher accuracy. They are very efficient in hearing loss tests.

The overall procedure of identifying a hearing loss problem is not complex as you might think. With this device, it is very easy.it only entails the patient being subjected to an audio from the device then their reaction at different frequencies being noted. These different frequencies give a range of the hearing capabilities of the patient. The range aid the medical specialist in treating such a patient.

During hearing loss analysis, the way through which patients respond to the sound varies. Adult patients are required to press a button while small children are provided with toys to show their reactions to the sound. Head turn can also be used to note a reaction to the sound.

An audiometer can also be used to diagnosis hearing problems in animals. Veterinary doctors do train the animals to react to these sound frequencies through different ways. They can train the animals to eat, raise special sound or behave anomaly whenever they hear such audio.




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