[Application of behavioral audiometry in subjective hearing assessment of children]

Objective:To explore the value and influencing factors of behavioral audiometry in subjective hearing assessment of children. Methods:The results of behavioral audiometry（visual reinforcement audiometry or play audiometry） of 1944 children（3888 ears） in the outpatient department from January 2012 to December 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. The subjective performance（" good ", "moderate", "poor", " unfinished "） was compared according to age and hearing level. SPSS 27.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results:The subjective performance of children was "good" in 2791 ears（71.8%）, "moderate" in 411 ears（10.6%）, "poor" in 309 ears（7.9%） and " unfinished " in 377 ears（9.7%）. In visual reinforcement audiometry, the proportion of children who subjectively performed as "good" gradually increased with age, reaching the peak at 2 years old, and decreased with age after 2 years old. In play audiometry, the proportion of children who subjectively performed as "good" gradually increased with age, peaking at 4-5 years of age. The children who did not finish the test were mainly 1-3 years old. The reasons included uncooperation for 148 ears, crying for 95 ears, refusing to wear headphones for 57 ears, fatigue for 42 ears, lack of interest for 20 ears, not understanding for 14 ears, and distraction for 1 ear. Conclusion:Behavioral audiometry was helpful to assess children's subjective hearing, and children's subjective performance was good. In clinical work, more novel and attractive test materials and methods should be adopted or developed according to the physical and mental characteristics of young children.