Audiology (from Latin audīre, "to hear"; and from Greek -λογία, -logia) is a branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders.[1] [2] Audiologists treat those with hearing loss and proactively prevent related damage.[3] By employing various testing strategies (e.g. behavioral hearing tests, otoacoustic emission measurements, and electrophysiologic tests), audiologists aim to determine whether someone has normal sensitivity to sounds.[4] If hearing loss is identified, audiologists determine which portions of hearing (high, middle, or low frequencies) are affected, to what degree (severity of loss), and where the lesion causing the hearing loss is found (outer ear, middle ear, inner ear, auditory nerve and/or central nervous system). If an audiologist determines that a hearing loss or vestibular abnormality is present, they will provide recommendations for interventions or rehabilitation (e.g. hearing aids, cochlear implants, appropriate medical referrals).
In addition to diagnosing audiologic and vestibular pathologies, audiologists can also specialize in rehabilitation of tinnitus, hyperacusis, misophonia, auditory processing disorders, cochlear implant use and/or hearing aid use. Audiologists can provide hearing health care from birth to end-of-life.[5]
- ^ Gelfand, Stanley A. (2009). Essentials of Audiology (3 ed.). New York: Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc. p. ix. ISBN 978-1-60406-044-7. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ Katz, Jack, ed. (2015). Handbook of clinical audiology (7th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN 978-1-4511-9163-9.
- ^ "What Is an Audiologist". American Academy of Audiology. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
- ^ Roeser, Ross J.; Clark, Jackie L. (2013). Roeser's audiology desk reference (2nd ed.). New York Stuttgart: Thieme. ISBN 978-1-60406-398-1.
- ^ "Scope of practice in audiology. Ad Hoc Committee on scope of Practice in Audiology". ASHA. Supplement. 38 (2 Suppl 16): 12–15. 1996. ISSN 1072-8929. PMID 8680260.