Abstract
The use and misuse of the auditory brainstem response (ABR) test by hearing professionals is often related to the extent and nature of the training they have received. This study used a postal survey based questionnaire to investigate the levels of training in, knowledge about, and appropriateness of referral for, ABR testing in Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeons and registrars in Gauteng, South Africa. Thirty-seven actively practising ENT specialists and registrars were sampled using a convenience sampling technique. Overall, a poor level of training and knowledge in ABR and its related areas of audiology was identified. This was mirrored by a high demand for further education. Considering the prevalence of auditory disorders in South Africa, and the push towards primary care and early intervention, this study's results highlight the need for improved training in ABR for ENT surgeons and registrars.
Highlights
The auditory brainstem r~sponse (ABR) has been the mainstay ofthe advanced audiological and ENT neuro-otological test battery since its cl~nical introduction in the late 1970's (Hall, 1992; Ferraro & Durrant, 1994)
The questionnaire comprised of20 close ended multiple choice questions divided into five sections: demographic information; extent, nature and perceived adequacy of training in ABR and related audiological/otological tests; nature ofcurrent ABR referral practises; need and desire for additional information in various areas of ABR; and an additional comments section that allowed for open ended comments to be made
A poor level of training and knowledge in ABR and its related areas of audiology, was identified in the surveyed ENT specialists and registrars in Gauteng. This finding was mirrored by a high demand amongst the respondents for further education in ABR technology, preferably in a workshop format run by a qualified audiologist
Summary
The auditory brainstem r~sponse (ABR) has been the mainstay ofthe advanced audiological and ENT neuro-otological test battery since its cl~nical introduction in the late 1970's (Hall, 1992; Ferraro & Durrant, 1994). It is a farfield, differentially averaged, electrophysiologically recorded signal that represents the summed and averaged responses to repeated acoustic stimulation, of thousands of nerve fibres in the VIIIth cranial nerve, and the auditory brainstem, thalamus and thalamocortical radiations (Hall, 1992). The ABR has proven to be more sensitive in detecting mass lesions than a computerised tomography scan (but less sensitive than an magnetic resonance imaging scan), and more sensitive than any test in detecting functional lesions of the VIIIth CN and auditory brainstem (Hall, 1992; Stanton & Cashman, 1997)
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