OPEN Research Support
head

Associate Professor
Christian Brandt
Department of Clinical Research, University of southern Denmark


Projekt styring
Projekt status    Open
 
Data indsamlingsdatoer
Start 23.06.2023  
Slut 01.02.2025  
 



The use of correct clinical masking in audiological practice

Short summary

In patients with asymmetric hearing loss, it is necessary to mask the better ear to get accurate thresholds. If the masking is not carried out correctly, the hearing test will give a misleading result, and this can lead to the patient getting an incorrectly adjusted hearing aid. In connection with other research, data has been collected from hearing tests. Based on this dataset, we will investigate how often there are errors in the masking. This can help us assess the need for extra training.


Rationale

In patients with asymmetric hearing loss, it is often necessary to mask the better ear to get accurate thresholds. If the masking is not carried out correctly, the hearing test will give a misleading result, and this can lead to the patient getting an incorrectly adjusted hearing aid. This procedure is quite complicated and often a problem for newly trained audiologists. Stories about patients that are misdiagnosed because of this is common but there is no reliable information about how common this is. Therefore we wish to investigate a large dataset of audiograms that have been collected previously to get a overview of how often masking is required and how often there is mistakes in the masking procedure.


Description of the cohort

Patiens tested in state-funded clinics of the Region of Southern Denmark.


Data and biological material

Results from hearing tests