The industry-defining engine behind AUDIMETROID is revolutionary technology that enables accessible, accurate hearing testing. With a one-of-a-kind statistical framework that enforces a sensitivity level of at least 99% the Hearing Diagnostics Engine makes it possible for community healthcare providers and retailers to offer clinical-level results without any training in audiology.
This uber-accessible approach to hearing testing exists in stark contrast to traditional pure-tone audiometry (PTA) screening tests for hearing loss. Such tests are almost always carried out in hospitals or special health centers, and they must be administered by a trained audiologist. Further, PTA screening tests consistently miss or misdiagnose two in ten patients.
In this article, we’re exploring three key differences between PTA hearing screening tests and AUDIMETROID’s revolutionary spatial testing paradigm, and discussing how more modern solutions stand to change the ways that communities test for and treat hearing loss.
1. AUDIMETROID delivers accurate, reliable results
Perhaps the most critical difference between traditional PTA hearing screening tests and AUDIMETROID’s spatial testing paradigm is the degree of accuracy delivered by each exam.
While PTA hearing screening tests consistently miss or misdiagnose two in ten patients, AUDIMETROID’s statistical framework enforces a sensitivity level of at least 99%. AUDIMETROID is able to deliver such accurate, reliable results because it all but eliminates guesswork during hearing testing.
During a PTA hearing screening test, patients are asked to push a button when they hear a sound. This can result in a patient simply correctly guessing when a sound has been played: If a patient doesn’t actually hear anything, but happens to push the button at the right time, their results will show no hearing impairment when there is, in fact, an issue with their hearing performance.
But during a hearing test with AUDIMETROID, patients must actually localize the sound they are hearing by turning their head and body to face the perceived direction of sound. This is a critical distinction to PTA-based hearing screening tests because this method requires a patient to prove that they have actually heard a sound. With AUDIMETROID, it’s nearly impossible for a patient to consistently correctly localize a sound (i.e. turn their head and body to face the perceived direction of sound) if they’re not actually hearing it. This testing paradigm all but eliminates the chance that a patient could return normal hearing test results by simply guessing.
And because AUDIMETROID produces such accurate results, only patients who genuinely require further clinical intervention are recommended for onward care. This not only reduces demands on busy hospitals and audiologists, it ensures that patients who aren’t referred for onward evaluation aren’t actually suffering from hearing loss that might be missed or misdiagnosed with a traditional screening test.
2. AUDIMETROID offers an accessible, uncomplicated path to hearing testing and care
When it comes to accessibility, traditional PTA screening tests simply cannot compete with a modern, purpose-built solution like AUDIMETROID.
America’s current infrastructure with regard to hearing testing can be complicated and difficult to navigate. In the first instance, a hearing test with an audiologist can typically only happen once a referral has been made by a primary care physician. And even after a successful referral, patients often face challenges on the path to receiving care, such inaccessible testing facilities, and a national shortage of trained audiologists.
AUDIMETROID, on the other hand, meets patients right where they are.
Instead of asking patients to wait weeks for an appointment or travel outside of their community for a hearing test, AUDIMETROID empowers local community healthcare providers – even those without any training in audiology or experience administering hearing tests – to safely, quickly deploy hearing assessments in any safe, quiet room. From pharmacies to schools, community centers and even retirement homes, AUDIMETROID can be anywhere that your patients need it to be.
This level of accessibility not only makes it easier for patients who affirmatively seek out care to receive it, it also enables on-the-spot testing and creates more psychologically safe pathways to hearing testing and treatment for patients who might otherwise struggle with seeking out care.
3. AUDIMETROID drives streamlined uptake of hearing healthcare
Beyond the offer of a reliable, robust, and accessible hearing testing experience, AUDIMETROID offers additional benefits to healthcare providers and retailers.
Unlike traditional PTA hearing screening tests, which are bulky and found almost exclusively in hospitals and specialty healthcare centers, AUDIMETROID is lightweight, mobile technology that’s been purpose-built to drive increased uptake of hearing care and treatment. Not only can community healthcare providers and retailers offer uncomplicated access to patients in a variety of settings, they can safely administer hearing screening tests with AUDIMETROID without any formal training in audiology.
Crucially, this hyper-accessible approach also enables community healthcare providers and retailers to offer on-the-spot hearing testing. By eliminating the requirement for patients to pre-book specialty appointments, AUDIMETROID overcomes several key barriers to uptake of hearing healthcare, including:
- The requirement for patients to obtain a referral from a primary care physician
- The requirement for patients to travel to a specialist
- The stigma or reticence that patients suffering from hearing loss may feel when leaving the house or making an appointment over the phone
And by putting lead generation for hearing testing into the hands of community healthcare providers and retailers, audiologists can more squarely focus on their work, and provide care to more of the patients who truly need their specialized attention.
Plus, on-the-spot hearing testing, unlike traditional PTA hearing screening tests, can support the continuation of care for patients identified as having mild to moderate hearing loss by way of over-the-counter hearing aids, which can be recommended, fitted, and purchased immediately following a hearing test, without a patient ever leaving the shop floor.
PTA-based screening tests, and the experts who deploy them, are critical in the fight against unmanaged hearing loss. AUDIMETROID is not a replacement for traditional approaches to hearing testing, which still play an important role in the provision of critical healthcare. Rather, AUDIMETROID and the technology behind it offer an opportunity for community healthcare providers and retailers to make high-quality hearing testing more widely available to the people who need it most.
To learn more about how AUDIMETROID can supplement your current approach to hearing testing and care, just get in touch with a member of our team.