title: [A software tool for pure-tone audiometry: Classification of audiograms for inclusion of patients in clinical trials. German version].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Selecting subjects for clinical trials on hearing loss therapies relies on the patient meeting the audiological inclusion criteria. In studies on the treatment of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss, the patient's acute audiogram is usually compared with a previous audiogram, the audiogram of the non-affected ear, or a normal audiogram according to an ISO standard. Generally, many more patients are screened than actually fulfill the particular inclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria often require a calculation of pure-tone averages, selection of the most affected frequencies, and calculation of hearing loss differences.
  
  
  METHODS
  A software tool was developed to simplify and accelerate this inclusion procedure for investigators to estimate the possible recruitment rate during the planning phase of a clinical trial and during the actual study. This tool is Microsoft Excel-based and easy to modify to meet the particular inclusion criteria of a specific clinical trial. The tool was retrospectively evaluated on 100 patients with acute hearing loss comparing the times for classifying automatically and manually. The study sample comprised 100 patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The age- and sex-related normative audiogram was calculated automatically by the tool and the hearing impairment was graded. The estimated recruitment rate of our sample was quickly calculated. Information about meeting the inclusion criteria was provided instantaneously. A significant reduction of 30% in the time required for classifying (30 s per patient) was observed.
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinikum Halle (Saale), Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde, Kopf- und Halschirurgie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Ernst-Grube-Str. 40, Halle (Saale), Deutschland. torsten.rahne@uk-halle.de.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rahne
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinikum Halle (Saale), Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde, Kopf- und Halschirurgie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Ernst-Grube-Str. 40, Halle (Saale), Deutschland.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Buthut
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinikum Halle (Saale), Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde, Kopf- und Halschirurgie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Ernst-Grube-Str. 40, Halle (Saale), Deutschland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Plößl
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinikum Halle (Saale), Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde, Kopf- und Halschirurgie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Ernst-Grube-Str. 40, Halle (Saale), Deutschland.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Plontke
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone / Q000379:methods*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018579:Patient Selection; D011381:Programming Languages; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012984:Software
keywords: Epidemiologic research design; Health care evaluation mechanisms; Hearing tests; Sensorineural hearing loss; Sudden hearing loss