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Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Behavioral Assessment of Hearing in 2 to 4 Year-old Children: A Two-interval, Observer-based Procedure Using Conditioned Play-based Responses
Published on: January 23, 2017
Consensus on key concepts in audiometry
Hassan Ali Alfares1, David Harbo Jordell1, Jesper Yde1
1Copenhagen Hearing and Balance Center, Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet.
Introduction:
To develop a consensus-based curriculum for audiometry and hearing test interpretation, adopting a structured Delphi methodology. The goal was to address gaps in audiological training by defining key concepts that should be taught to three learner groups: medical students (i.e. all doctors), early otorhinolaryngology residents (i.e., all ORL specialists) and ORL specialists with a subspecialty in audiology (medical audiology subspecialists).
Methods:
A three-round Delphi process was used, and content experts and key educational stakeholders in ORL and ORL specialists with a subspecialty in audiology were invited to participate in online questionnaires. In round 1, panellists brainstormed key concepts via open-ended questions. The Steering Committee merged and grouped similar responses; and in rounds 2 and 3, panellists rated and refined items of relevance for each target group.
Results:
Twenty content experts and key educational stakeholders participated in round 1. Among these, 13 and 12 responded in rounds 2 and 3, respectively. From 303 initial suggestions of key concepts related to audiometry and interpretation, 71 unique items were identified and rated in the subsequent rounds. A final consensus was reached on 19 concepts that should be known by all doctors, 53 by ORL specialists and 71 by audiology subspecialists.
Conclusions:
This Delphi study established expert consensus on core competencies for interpreting audiometry tailored to three learner levels. These findings provide a structured foundation for developing an e-learning curriculum and support the integration of structured audiological training.
Funding:
None.
Trial Registration:
Not relevant.
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