Seldom do these units provide custom tones, masking, speech or special tests. These units are often sturdily built to tolerate harsh conditions but require maintenance to avoid internal rusting and degradation. The procurement of portable audiometers is generally infrequent; hence, most systems in use today are woefully outdated and need calibration. While portable systems do provide an opportunity for testing outside traditional venues, they usually require special training to operate, manual documentation is often required, and they do not assist with patient tracking or referral. In particular, the management of background noise during portable screening outside a sound booth can be problematic. Ideally, your mobile diagnostic audiometer would monitor noise throughout the test. Over the last 50 years, portable systems have filled an important gap in the audiometric armamentarium but have left a lot to be desired.

Benefits of Mobile Audiometry

With the rapid evolution of robust mobile technology in the past decade, we now have access to lightweight, internet-connected devices.   These long-lasting battery-operated devices with touch interfaces are ideal for the workplace or community setting where children, adults, or the elderly may be encountered. A mobile device has other sensors, such as microphones and GPS, with which to monitor background noise in specific locations or provide information about appropriate testing environments. Using a mobile device platform also enables the sharing of patient lists such that multiple systems can be deployed to large groups without missing a single person. Furthermore, the data obtained from these tests can be easily stored and aggregated in the cloud.   This data can then help inform policy or healthcare decisions and assist in referral management. Usually, when you buy medical technology, it becomes outdated the instant it is purchased; however, mobile-connected technology is continually updated with the latest information, guidance, and testing tools. Mobile audiometry combines the best of traditional portable audiometry but reduces the size, lowering the audiometer price and power requirements while adding additional sensors, software updates, and internet connectivity.

Mobile Audiometry in Practice

In my own work, I have often relied upon mobile audiometry to provide diagnostic hearing healthcare where other resources are unavailable. In some cases, this has been in a primary care setting, but in others, it has been a remote outreach setting. The interactive nature of the testing and the lightweight form factor has been ideal for remote locations.   Similarly, in less remote communities where population or school-based screening is being undertaken, the patient management and data aggregation tools have proved useful for research. Finally, occupational hearing conservation programs have found utility in the ease of deployment and scalability of mobile devices for testing.

Conclusions

Portable audiometers have historically met a need for the provision of healthcare outside traditional settings. However, this often required the sacrifice of useful features and came in a less-than-ideal form factor. With the advent of mobile internet-enabled devices, it is now possible to have a full diagnostic audiometer in a long-lasting, battery-operated device. The interactive nature of the touch interface has made these devices simple to use by a wide variety of healthcare workers in a multitude of settings. The barrier to deploying, managing, and reporting on hearing testing in the field has been dramatically reduced and now enables hearing healthcare provision to a larger population segment.

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