Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Mar 10, 2023
Open Peer Review Period: Mar 9, 2023 - May 4, 2023
Date Accepted: Sep 3, 2024
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Design and Evaluation of a Simulation Tool for Audiology Screening Education
ABSTRACT
Background:
Early identification of hearing loss and ear disorders is important. Regular screening is recommended for children through the age of 18, and for adults to determine if a full hearing assessment is necessary and hearing problems treated. Procedural training is needed for new speech-language pathology students as well as continuing education for those trained to perform this screening procedure.
Objective:
The aims of this study were: 1) to describe the development of a new hearing screening simulation software platform, and 2) to report the use of this software platform to train a group of speech-language-pathology students in the processes of hearing screening.
Methods:
An audiology simulator was developed to provide a precursor to traditional face-to-face clinical instruction. Using a design science approach, the development of the simulator is presented. Evaluation of the tool included thirty-three speech-language pathology graduate students randomly assigned to control (receiving in-person instruction) and test (in-person instruction and simulation tool use) groups. Both groups were evaluated conducting live audiology screening.
Results:
Results indicated that students who used the simulation tool demonstrated greater confidence in their ability to 1) explain hearing screening procedures to a child (Chi-square = 5.27, p = .02, df = 1); ” 2) determine if otoscopy is normal (Chi-square = 5.14, p = 0.02, df = 1); and 3) determine if otoscopy is abnormal” (Chi-square = 4.86, p = .03, df = 1). Open-ended responses indicated that students found the hands-on experience provided by the simulator provided an easy-to-use and useful learning experience with the audiometer that increased confidence in their ability to perform hearing screening.
Conclusions:
Software-based education simulation tools for audiology screening that support individualized, self-paced learning using context-sensitive feedback and performance assessment, and an extensible approach to supporting virtual subjects, may provide a beneficial method for educating students and professionals in hearing screening training.
Citation
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Copyright
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