Audiogram Notches in Noise-Exposed Workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Dixon-Ernst C ; Dobie RA ; Galusha D ; Rabinowitz PM ; Sircar KD ; Slade MD
• Description:
  OBJECTIVES: Diagnostic criteria for noise-induced hearing loss include the audiometric notch, yet no standardized definition exists. This study tested whether objective notch metrics could match the clinical judgments of an expert panel. DESIGN: A panel of occupational physicians, otolaryngologists, and audiologists reviewed audiograms of noise-exposed workers. In a two-sample process, the panel judged whether a notch was present and whether hearing loss had progressed in a notch pattern. Quantitative notch metrics were compared against expert decisions. RESULTS: At least five of six experts agreed about notch identification in 71 and 72% of the cases in the two samples, and agreement about notch progression was 61 and 67%. Notch depth and professional specialty appeared to affect notch judgments. Despite this variability, a notch metric showed excellent agreement with expert notch consensus in each sample (94.7 and 96.6%; kappa = 0.88 and 0.92). CONCLUSIONS: Audiogram notch metrics can agree with expert clinical consensus and assist in the surveillance of noise-exposed workers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Hearing Hearing Loss Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Noise Occupational Health Safety Sense Organs
• Keywords:
  Audiological-testing Audiometry Auditory-system Hearing-acuity Hearing-disorders Hearing-impairment Hearing-level Hearing-loss Hearing-threshold Surveillance-programs
• ISSN:
  0196-0202
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Connecticut ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  27
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20031684
• Citation:
  Ear Hear 2006 Dec; 27(6):742-750
• Contact Point Address:
  Assistant Professor P. M. Rabinowitz, Yale Occupational and Environmental Medicine Program, Yale University School of Medicine, 135 College Street, Suite 392, New Haven, CT 06510
• Email:
  Peter.Rabinowitz@yale.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2007
• Performing Organization:
  Yale University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20020930
• Source Full Name:
  Ear and Hearing
• End Date:
  20050929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8b50332bc5b7a3d507923bd57320c00811590cf29db7b6bd94bfaf3586a935e05fbd6e75c576294e6faa4e645850da410349048146b3dac17070a8586c6232ba
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/185890/cdc_185890_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 169.96 KB ]