Audiology

Audiology is the health science concerned with hearing and balance. It assesses and diagnoses related conditions and develops strategies for prevention and rehabilitation.

Audiogram: A graph showing hearing thresholds across sound frequencies for each ear. It records the thresholds measured during pure-tone hearing assessment.
Hearing aid: An electronic device that amplifies and processes sound to improve access to speech and other sounds. Audiologists select and fit these devices to address hearing loss.
Otolaryngology: The medical specialty focused on disorders of the ear, nose, and throat, including surgical care. It overlaps with audiology in ear disorders but includes medical and surgical treatment.
World Health Organization: A United Nations agency that coordinates international public-health work and issues health guidance. Its reports frame hearing loss as a global health and access concern.
Pure-tone audiometry: A hearing test that measures the quietest tones a person detects at different frequencies. It is a standard method for quantifying hearing sensitivity.
Cochlear implant: An implanted device that electrically stimulates the auditory nerve to provide sound information. Audiologists assess candidacy, support fitting, and monitor rehabilitation.
Speech-language pathology: The health profession that assesses and treats communication and swallowing disorders. It often collaborates with audiology but focuses on communication and swallowing outcomes.
Universal newborn hearing screening: A public-health program that screens nearly all newborns for possible hearing loss. It translates audiological screening into population-wide early detection.
Tympanometry: A test of middle-ear function that measures eardrum movement as air pressure changes. It helps distinguish middle-ear problems from other causes of hearing loss.
Newborn hearing screening: Testing performed soon after birth to identify infants who may have hearing loss. Early detection enables timely diagnostic assessment and intervention.

Linked from 10 pages