J Audiol Otol.  2024 Jul;28(3):167-175. 10.7874/jao.2024.00227.

Improving Accuracy and Reliability of Hearing Tests: Measurement Standards for Audiometric Devices

Affiliations
  • 1Division of Physical Metrology, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Daejeon, Korea
  • 2Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea
  • 3Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Jeju National University College of Medicine, Jeju, Korea
  • 4Division of Speech Pathology and Audiology, Research Institute of Audiology and Speech Pathology, College of Natural Sciences, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Korea
  • 5Department of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, Hallym Univesity of Graduate Studies, Chuncheon, Korea
  • 6Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, Korea
  • 7Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
  • 8Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
  • 9Healthcare Lab, Naver Corporation, Seongnam, Korea
  • 10Healthcare Lab, Naver Cloud Corporation, Seongnam, Korea

Abstract

Pure-tone audiometry, using an audiometer, is the fundamental hearing test for diagnosing hearing loss. The requirements of the devices and the detailed process for calibrating the related equipment are described in international standards. However, traceable calibration and uncertainty evaluation processes are not widely accepted or applied to the qualification and maintenance of audiometric equipment. Here, we briefly review standard measurement systems for audiometric devices and introduce their calibration procedures. The uncertainty of each calibration process was investigated, and its impact on hearing test results was considered. Our findings show that the traceability of each procedure can be secured, satisfying the uncertainty requirement and being sufficiently smaller than the permissible deviation from the audiometer requirement. To guarantee the objectivity and reliability of hearing tests and maintain low uncertainty, close cooperation and mutual understanding between the metrology field and the medical community are necessary.

Keyword

Audiometry; Measurement standards; Traceability; Uncertainty; Calibration
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