Hearing Screening

What is a hearing screening? 

A hearing screening is a quick test that presents various tones as a way to separate individuals into two groups: pass and refer. The individuals in the pass group are presumed to have no hearing loss while the individuals in the refer group are in need of a full evaluation completed by an audiologist. Screening procedures detect unilateral or bilateral sensorineural and/or conductive hearing loss greater than 20 dB HL in the frequency range of 1,000 to 4,000 Hz. At our facility we generally use conventional audiometry in which the individual is instructed to raise their hand when they hear a tone.  

What happens if an individual does not pass the screening? 

The individual can be reinstructed, earphones repositioned and rescreened in the same session. If they do not pass the second time they should be referred for an audiologic assessment.