Department of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign.
Am J Audiol. 2023 Jun;32(2):417-431. doi: 10.1044/2023_AJA-22-00096. Epub 2023 Apr 26.
Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) provide information on outer hair cell function and have multiple clinical applications. Two types of OAEs, transient-evoked OAEs (TEOAEs) and distortion product OAEs (DPOAEs), are currently utilized in clinical practice. However, it remains unknown how confident U.S. clinicians are in performing and interpreting TEOAEs and DPOAEs. Additionally, the extent to which U.S. audiologists incorporate OAEs for different clinical applications and populations has not been thoroughly investigated. To fill these gaps in knowledge, this study characterized the attitudes toward and usage of TEOAEs and DPOAEs in a sample of U.S. audiologists.
This study utilized an online survey distributed to U.S. audiologists through multiple channels from January to March 2021. A total of 214 completed surveys were included in the analysis. Results were analyzed descriptively. Associations between variables and comparisons between users of DPOAEs only and users of TEOAEs and DPOAEs were also examined.
DPOAEs were reportedly utilized more frequently and with greater confidence than TEOAEs. The most common clinical application of both OAE types was a cross-check. Significant associations were found between responses to DPOAE questions and the clinician's setting and patient age. There were some significant differences between users of DPOAEs only and users of TEOAEs and DPOAEs.
Results suggest that U.S. audiologists utilize OAEs for multiple clinical purposes and that there are appreciable differences in terms of attitudes toward and usage of DPOAEs versus TEOAEs. Future work could investigate the reasons that underlie these differences to further improve clinical implementation of OAEs.
耳声发射（OAE）提供了外毛细胞功能的信息，具有多种临床应用。目前在临床实践中应用两种类型的耳声发射，瞬态诱发耳声发射（TEOAE）和畸变产物耳声发射（DPOAE）。然而，目前尚不清楚美国临床医生对 TEOAE 和 DPOAE 的检测和解释的信心程度如何。此外，美国听力学家在不同的临床应用和人群中纳入 OAE 的程度也尚未得到充分研究。为了填补这些知识空白，本研究在一组美国听力学家中对 TEOAE 和 DPOAE 的态度和使用情况进行了描述。
本研究于 2021 年 1 月至 3 月通过多种渠道向美国听力学家分发在线调查。共纳入 214 份完成的调查进行分析。结果进行描述性分析。还检查了变量之间的关联以及仅使用 DPOAE 和 TEOAE 和 DPOAE 的用户之间的比较。
报告称，DPOAE 的使用频率和信心均高于 TEOAE。两种类型的 OAE 最常见的临床应用都是交叉检查。对 DPOAE 问题的回答与临床医生的环境和患者年龄之间存在显著关联。仅使用 DPOAE 和 TEOAE 和 DPOAE 的用户之间存在一些显著差异。
结果表明，美国听力学家将 OAE 用于多种临床目的，并且在 DPOAE 与 TEOAE 的态度和使用方面存在明显差异。未来的工作可以研究这些差异背后的原因，以进一步改善 OAE 的临床实施。
