April 24, 2008

This was the last week of clinic. I got to go to the POC on Monday for a "field trip". It was really interesting to go there and observe the audiologist in action. I was able to see one of the audiologist perform VRA with an 8 month old baby. The baby had SAT down to about 20 dB, which was excellent! I also saw another audiologist evaluate a 50 y/o woman who had normal hearing except at 8000 Hz, where she had a mild hearing loss. Overall, it was a pretty interesting morning!

Since I haven't tested any infants, I wanted to find an article about hearing evaluations with this population. In the article I found, the authors discussed the use of insert earphones with VRA to obtain ear and frequency specific information. In the article, they emphasized the use of 2 audiologists to perform VRA. As we have learned in class, while this may be the best option, it is often not cost or time effective. The paper also discussed how the tester operating the audiometer can signal the other tester when a stimulus is being presented.

Reference:
Jayarajan, V., Nandi, R., Caldicott, B. (2005). An innovation in insert visual reinforcement audiometry in children. The Journal of Laryngology & Otology, 119. 132-133.

If you would like to read this article, please use the following link:
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=7&hid=4&sid=761196e6-dea3-4d35-9cdc-eafed9718b74%40SRCSM2