SPEED, ACCURACY & RELIABILITY OF AUTOMATED AUDIOMETRY

This study investigated the accuracy, reliability and time-efficiency of automated pure-tone audiometry (air and bone conduction testing) using the Kuduwave audiometer.

This was done by comparing thresholds obtained through automated air and bone conduction audiometry using the Kuduwave with manually obtained air and bone conduction thresholds. Both manual and automated testing and threshold collection was done with the use of a Kuduwave audiometer.

The Kuduwave automated audiometry test showed similar test-retest reliability to that of the Kuduwave manual audiometry test across the frequency spectrum for air and bone conduction audiometry. Test-retest correspondence for both automated and manual air conduction audiometry were within 5 dB.

Additionally, the test-retest correspondence for manual and automated bone conduction audiometry were within a 0 to 10 dB range.

No significant difference was noted between thresholds obtained with the Kuduwave audiometer automated air and bone conduction audiometry when compared to the Kuduwave audiometer manual air and bone conduction audiometry.

Automated audiometry demonstrated similar time-efficiency to manual audiometry procedures. The accuracy and reliability of the Kuduwave audiometer automated audiometry thus allows audiologists and other hearing healthcare professionals to confidently use automated audiometry  in their clinical test battery.