Chris Hayes 09005773 Research Presentation Audiometry 05/10/2012 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Chris Hayes 09005773 Research Presentation Audiometry 05/10/2012

What is Audiometry??

• An Audiometry exam tests your ability to hear sounds. Sounds vary based on their loudness (Intensity) & the speed of

sound wave vibrations (Tone/Frequency)

• Some causes of Hearing loss include: Age, Long-term exposure to environmental noise, Genetic or Disease/illness.
• Hearing loss of a signifjcant degree afgects one in 12 of the adult population in Ireland & in the over 70-age group this

rises to 50%.

• In children 3 to 4 per thousand will experience mild to profound hearing loss, this is 3,000 to 4,500 preschool and school

age children in Ireland will have a permanent hearing impairment.

• Hearing loss of any degree will have a big impact on a persons life, whether it be in education in the case of younger

people and the quality of life for older people.

Current Products

• n the Market

Sound Proof Booths - Give very accurate results.

• Very Expensive (Have to be re calibrated each year).
• Size may be an issue for smaller rooms (i.e. Doctor Surgeries).
• Tests are carried out quick and easy, no chance of outside disturbance.
• Prices: Smaller booths start at €4,570.00+ with the bigger Booths starting at € 6,575.00+
• Additional door seal kits needed with some Booths (Added Cost)

Sound Proof Rooms - Similar to the sound proof booths but on a bigger scale

• May not be as accurate as the booths if not soundproofed correctly
• Tie chance of becoming claustrophobic greatly reduced to the booths (Rooms Bigger)
• Every area has to be sound proofed- Windows, Doors, Floors, Walls and Ceilings (Big Expense)

Current Products on the Market

Standard Audiometers & Headphones - Audiometers available in all difgerent shapes, sizes and designs (Very Simple Design)

• Headphones are used as the device to listen to the sounds.
• Not Sound proof headphones!
• Results never 100% Accurate.
• Headphones not comfortable to wear- Constant moving of Headphones during the test.
• Prices Starting as cheap as €400 for the older Audiometers. Newer Designs starting at €1500+
• Similar headphones with all audiometers.

Current Procedure

Where the cycle fails

Problems with Current Products??

X Sound Proof Booths

(Looking at the booths from the surgery point of view)

• Tie sound proof booths are too expensive for the smaller surgeries.
• Tie majority of surgeries/clinics don’t have free space for the booths.
• Once it is in place and calibrated moving the booth is not an option

(You can get them on wheels but moving them around is diffjcult).

• Tie machine will not be used enough to justify buying it
• Re-calibrated every year to ensure full use of booth

X Sound Proof Rooms

• Similar to the sound proof Booths but on a bigger scale.
• Only really bought/installed by big hearing aid clinics.
• Rooms still have to be calibrated every year and care has to be taken when adding/removing things from the room. (Risk
• f breaking the sound proofjng set in the room)

Problems with Current Products??

• X Audiometers & Headphones
• Audiometer is not the problem. Tie listening devices used are!
• Headphones project the sounds but does not cancel out the outside noise.
• Additional steps taken before test can begin.
• Results are never 100% accurate.
• Difgerent indicator techniques used for adults & Children.

Benefjts of improvement

School Check ups will be carried

• ut quicker and easier

Accurate tests in surgeries completed more ofuen Hospital Checks ups instead of sending patients to hearing clinics

Research Methods

• Secondary Research (For current technology & processes)
• Primary Research
• Margaret Ferguson Audiologist at Fergusons Hearing Aid Clinic
• Nurses and Doctor at Westbury Medical Centre, Athea
• Spoke with the Public Health Nurse in Dooradoyle (About School Visits)
• Mikael Fernstrom in Audio & Sound in UL
• What If Approach
• Observation (During hearing test)

Still To-d0

• Meeting with Audiologist Micheal Power in Barringtons Hospital. (New

Hearing testing clinic afuer starting up recently).

• Attend a national school with the public health nurse in Limerick or meet

with her to go through the process & Equipment she uses.

• Do more research into Sound proofjng Material.

Research Findings

• Tie gap between the top of the range equipment (In hearing aid Clinics) and the audiomerty equipment used in

surgeries and clinics outside the cities and big towns is massive.

• Set up in Hearing Aid clinics: Triple glazed windows, Doors 3 times a thick, fully sound proofed rooms.
• In surgeries tests are carried out in normal surgery room, used for every patient.
• Lack of drive in surgeries, hearing tests important but no regular check ups. (Happier not using equipment)
• No appointments given out by surgery.
• In local surgery at home, on a good month only One hearing test is carried out.
• Carrying out the tests in small surgeries interrupts everyone elses lives during the test.
• Audiometry equipment stored on top shelf- Shows how unused it is!
• Additional time spent outside of test to set up the correct environment
• Test in surgeries approx. 45mins (Basics checked)
• Test in hearing aid clinic 1 and a half hours (Full hearing test)

Research Findings

• School visits- Close to impossible to get to every child in one day with the noise disturbance.
• Headphone connection- Some have double connection & some are controlled by audiometer.
• Headphones not comfortable and constant moving during test.
• Some results are hand drawn on paper graph and some are printed out by machine.
• Attention lost easily when outside noise is heard during test (Children)
• Not all Surgeries have hearing test equipment.
• All said if it wasn’t so much hassle more tests would be done.