PC-based tele-audiometry.
A personal computer (PC)-based audiometer was developed for interactive remote audiometry. This paper describes a tele-audiometric system and evaluates the performance of the device when compared with conventional face-to-face audiometry. The tele-audiometric system is fully PC-based. A sound card featuring a high-quality digital-to-analog converter is used as a pure-tone generator. The audiometric programs were developed based on Microsoft Windows in order to maximize usability. Audiologists and their subjects can use the tele-audiometry system as one would utilize any PC application. A calibration procedure has been applied for the standardization of sound levels in the remote system. The performance of this system was evaluated by comparing PC-based audiometry with the conventional clinical audiometry system for 37 subjects. Also, performance of the PC-based system was evaluated during use at a remote site. The PC-based audiometry system estimated the audiometric threshold with an error of less than 2.3 dBSPL. Only 10.7% of the results exhibited an error greater than 5 dBSPL during use at a remote site. The PC-based tele-audiomerty showed acceptable results for use at a remote site. This PC-based system can be used effectively and easily in many locations that have Internet access but no local audiologists.
Choi
Jong Min
JM
Interdisciplinary Program for Biomedical Engineering, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Lee
Haet Bit
HB
Park
Cheol Soo
CS
Oh
Seung Ha
SH
Park
Kwang Suk
KS
D001298:Audiology / Q000295:instrumentation; D001299:Audiometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D002138:Calibration; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007723:Korea; D008838:Microcomputers; D012984:Software; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods*