title: Accuracy of a Tablet Audiometer for Measuring Behavioral Hearing Thresholds in a Clinical Population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the validity of a tablet computer-based audiometer for measuring hearing thresholds in a moderately noisy environment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective single-cohort repeated measures study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary care institution providing hearing health care to a diverse population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects included 49 participants (44 adults, 5 children) with all degrees of hearing sensitivity. Potential participants were excluded if they were <4 years old or had cognitive deficits or ear drainage. Participants were tested with established audiometric tests and a tablet audiometer. Threshold values were measured for both ears using various stimuli (500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz). Testing with the tablet audiometer was conducted in a non-sound-treated room; room properties were characterized by ambient noise level and reverberation testing. Calibration assessment of the tablet audiometer was performed on 3 occasions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Within the test thresholds for hearing level, results from the tablet device were within 10 dB of those determined by conventional audiometry for 164 of 172 hearing levels and did not show proportional bias over the testing range. Calibration assessment showed accurate proximity between output and target values, though crosstalk and linearity failed initial assessments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The tablet-based automated audiometer presents a new method for threshold hearing assessment outside conventional sound booths.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA sladen.douglas@mayo.edu.
authors.forename: Douglas P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Sladen
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Becky J Hughes
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Borst
authors.affiliation: Division of Facilities Operations and Biomedical Equipment Services, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Owen L
authors.initials: OL
authors.lastname: Still
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone / Q000295:instrumentation*; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D034201:Computers, Handheld; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006309:Hearing; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009622:Noise; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: audiometrics; automated; hearing thresholds; reliability