Modification and application of the computerized automatic audiometer.

Abstract

Recently, medical information processing systems applying computers have achieved marked advances in parallel with the development of highly accurate automatic measuring instruments. The authors already in 1974 developed and reported a computerized automatic audiometer containing a micro-computer which stored a program for audiometric procedures. Subsequently the authors have developed a compact, multi-purpose audiometric instrument which executes the standard air-bone conduction audiometry, with the exclusion of masking, automatically with a built-in micro-computer. An outline of the instrument is as follows: 1. The instrument is composed of a memory, a control unit, programs for data processing and measurement, a character display for instructing subjects and an audiogram display. It can be operated manually in the same way as a conventional audiometer. 2. Test errors and any abnormally large differences between the responses of the two ears can be detected automatically, and the tests can then be re-executed manually after finishing the automatic procedure for correction of the data. 3. The instrument is provided with output terminals for connection to an external computer or other peripheral equipment. It is designed to be compact and light weight.