Crowell Ellen S, Givens Gregg D, Jones Gloria L, Brechtelsbauer P Bradley, Yao Jianchu
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Allied Health Sciences, East Carolina University Telemedicine Center, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27834, USA.
Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2011 Jul;120(7):441-7. doi: 10.1177/000348941112000704.
Access to adequate hearing health care is an obstacle that many individuals face worldwide. The prospect of providing audiology services via the Internet is an attractive and viable alternative to traditional face-to-face interaction between patients and audiologists, thus affording improved access to hearing health care for traditionally underserved populations. This article details our experience of using a web-based system with wireless audiometers and videoconferencing software to administer remote audiological assessments in an active medical practice. It discusses the technological infrastructure used and the pragmatic issues that arise when the Internet, Bluetooth wireless audiometers, and videoconferencing devices are converged into a clinical setting. Patients at a local office of otolaryngologists were recruited to participate in a study in which remote assessment results were compared to those collected from a traditional face-to-face assessment. Preliminary data demonstrated that the assessment results from the two sources were comparable. We conclude that remote hearing assessment over the Internet can be achieved through a distributed system synthesized with Internet, wireless communication, and videoconferencing technologies, supported by appropriate staff.
获得充足的听力保健服务是全球许多人面临的障碍。通过互联网提供听力学服务的前景，是患者与听力学家之间传统面对面互动的一种有吸引力且可行的替代方式，从而为传统上服务不足的人群提供更好的听力保健服务。本文详细介绍了我们在活跃的医疗实践中使用基于网络的系统、无线听力计和视频会议软件进行远程听力学评估的经验。它讨论了所使用的技术基础设施，以及当互联网、蓝牙无线听力计和视频会议设备融合到临床环境中时出现的实际问题。招募了当地耳鼻喉科办公室的患者参与一项研究，将远程评估结果与传统面对面评估收集的结果进行比较。初步数据表明，这两个来源的评估结果具有可比性。我们得出结论，通过由适当人员支持的、与互联网、无线通信和视频会议技术相结合的分布式系统，可以实现基于互联网的远程听力评估。
