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Results for “Ear Protective Devices”

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PubMed2005

Selecting control interventions for clinical outcome studies.

In the current research environment the design and management of control groups is becoming more complex. The selection of a control group design is dependent on study goals, presence and quality of existing interventions, urgency of the problem or issue being addressed by the intervention, and factors related to the study site. The purpose of the presentation is to identify various approaches to the design of control groups in experimental studies and to identify their strengths, limitations, and applications. A case study exemplifies the issues associated with control group selection and design.

Clinical Nursing Research↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Otologic referral criteria.

Otologic referral is an important component of an industrial hearing conservation program. Recent federal regulations in this area are reviewed, and suggestions for implementation of otologic referral are made. Criteria for otologic referral must be distinguished from a definition of significant threshold shift for internal program action. Test-retest variability is higher in industrial than in clinical settings, and unduly stringent definitions of significant threshold shift will result in many spuriously identified cases. The American Council of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery has proposed criteria for otologic referral that are probably the best available guidelines. Referrals should be made on the basis of both baseline and periodic audiometry. Most workers referred for substantial audiometric abnormalities have otologic diagnoses other than noise-induced hearing loss, or require specific intervention, or both.

Auditory Threshold↗
PubMed1983

Doc's proplugs.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Ear Protective Devices↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Noise and the premature infant: physiological effects and practice implications.

Premature infants in the neonatal intensive-care unit often are exposed to continuous loud noise. This excess auditory stimulation creates negative physiological responses, such as increased heart and respiratory rates and decreased oxygen saturation. Modifying the neonatal intensive-care unit to reduce noise levels provides an environment more conducive to maturation and recovery from illness. This article reviews the literature addressing the pathophysiology and physiological changes of the premature infant in response to stress and discusses practice interventions for decreasing noise levels in the neonatal intensive-care unit. These interventions include installing sound absorbing materials and minimizing conversations of the staff.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed1986

Control of auditory hallucinations through occlusion of monaural auditory input.

A schizophrenic patient whose severe level of auditory hallucinations had proved refractory to neuroleptic medication was given two treatment techniques derived from Green's theory that hallucinations represent verbal activity in the non-dominant hemisphere. Voice activity was markedly reduced in frequency and severity over a six-month period, and led to general improvements in interpersonal functioning. There was evidence for independent and additive effects of the two techniques.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Failure of a binaural comprehension deficit to select responders to earplug use in schizophrenia.

Previous studies have suggested that on the Auditory Comprehension Test, a significant proportion of schizophrenics demonstrate a binaural comprehension deficit. To test whether wearing an earplug in their more poorly performing ear would be beneficial, we studied 34 in-patient schizophrenics and noted a binaural deficit in 12 (35%). Of these, eight patients subsequently wore an earplug in each ear for at least one week. We found no effect of the earplug on psychopathology.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Alternative field methods for measuring hearing protector performance.

In comparison with the mandatory noise reduction rating (NRR) testing of every hearing protector sold in the United States, real-world tests of hearing protector attenuation are scarce. This study evaluated data from three potential field-test methods as compared with the subject-fit data from Method B of ANSI S12.6-1997 for the E.A.R(R) Express trade mark Pod Plug trade mark. The new field-test methods were the FitCheck headphone (FCH) method, FitCheck in sound field (FCSF) method, and bone-conduction loudness balance (BCLB) method, all of which can be administered in small single-person audiometric booths such as are commonly found in industry. Twenty normal-hearing and audiometrically competent subjects naive to hearing protector use were tested with the laboratory and the three field-test methods in a repeated-measures design. Repeated-measures models with structured covariance matrices were used to analyze the data. Significant effects were found for method, frequency, and first-order frequency-by-gender and frequency-by-method interactions. These effects and interactions were expected given the different psychophysical tasks. The FCSF and BCLB methods provided attenuations that were not significantly different from those found with Method B. Although the attenuations measured for the FCH method were statistically different (greater) than the attenuations from the other methods, the differences were within the magnitude of acceptable test-retest audiometric variability. The results suggest that the FCH and FCSF methods were both feasible and reliable methods for field testing. The FCH method is limited to testing earplugs, and the FCSF requires additional equipment to outfit the test booth, but could be used for testing all types of protectors.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Exposure to noise on board locomotives.

Personal and area noise dosimetry measurements were taken in the cabs of leading and trailing locomotives on 48 trips, under winter and summer conditions, on 9 different routes. The mean equivalent sound level (L(EQ), 3 dB exchange rate, 50 dBA threshold) of the engineers and conductors was 84 dBA during winter and 88 dBA during summer. The corresponding time-weighted average levels (L(TWA), 5 dB exchange rate, 80 dBA threshold) were 80 and 84 dBA respectively. The L(EQ) of 56% of the engineers sampled was > or =85 dBA and of 13% was > or =90 dBA. Plots of L(EQ) time history show that under normal operating conditions L(EQ) reaches its steady-state value in about 3 hours. The mean noise levels in the trailing cabs were lower than the personal exposure levels of the engineers and conductors. The mean L(EQ) on the engineer and conductor sides was 80 dBA during winter, and 85 dBA during summer. Locomotive configuration has a significant effect on the noise levels in the trailing cab. The forward-backward configuration resulted in higher noise levels than the forward-forward configuration. Octave and one-third octave band spectra taken during a variety of locomotive operating conditions are presented. The octave band centered at 31.5 Hz contains nearly 46% of the acoustical energy, and those centered at and below 250 Hz contain nearly 99% of the acoustical energy. Wheel-rail interaction appears to be the predominant source of the low frequency noise. Recommendations for controlling exposure are made.

Ear Protective Devices↗
PubMed2002

The use of an earplug to increase speech comprehension in a subgroup of children with learning disabilities: an experimental treatment.

In this article, the ability to comprehend and repeat short stories was measured in selected children with learning difficulties. Performances were compared in 3 listening conditions, in which stories were heard either in the left ear, in the right ear, or in both ears simultaneously. Although the underlying mechanisms are not understood, some children are better able to repeat stories presented to 1 ear only than to both ears simultaneously. This effect warrants further study because it leads to a simple noninvasive treatment method that might be of significant benefit to some children. In a follow-up study by the Department of Education of the Alberta government, children from this study were independently retested and the study's main findings were replicated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Efficacy of a computer-based hearing test and tailored hearing protection intervention.

Advances in computer technology and accessibility enable researchers to provide individually tailored interventions for behavioral change. Using multimedia technology, this study developed and tested a computer-based hearing test and a tailored intervention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate, using a randomized experimental design, the efficacy of the intervention to increase workers' use of hearing protection. The tailored intervention developed by the research team showed more significant short-term effect measured immediately after the intervention than the control intervention. For the long-term effect measured 1 year after the intervention, both tailored and control groups showed significant increase in their reported use (7% vs. 6%) from preintervention to postintervention, but no significant difference between the two groups. The change accomplished in this study was small progress toward the desired level of 100% use of hearing protection to prevent noise-induced hearing loss. This finding showed that changing workers' hearing protection behavior is difficult.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

The development of a method to measure head acceleration and motion in high-impact crashes.

OBJECTIVE: To establish a mechanism to obtain precise measurements of the accelerations of the head in the high-speed racing environment and during crash impacts. The long-term goal is to apply this system to the assessment of head injury in automobile racing drivers and then in participants in other helmeted sports. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team conceptualized, designed, and successfully tested a triaxial accelerometer system capable of measuring head acceleration and motion in high-impact crashes. The system has been implemented successfully in the professional racing environment. RESULTS: Accurate and reproducible data have been obtained from the accelerometer system in tests on manikins and cadavers and in actual racing events. The system has been implemented in two professional racing series in 2003. Information gained from the accelerometer system is currently being entered into a database. Eventually, the data should aid in the development of improved cockpit head protection in racing cars. Improved helmet design not only in motor sports but also in other helmeted sports should benefit from the data collected. These data will also aid the development of improved head injury protection in military aircraft and passenger vehicles. CONCLUSION: Although there has been a significant decrease in the overall rate of injury during the past 25 years, head injury remains a serious safety concern in motor sports and the greatest cause of death. Sports-related head injuries are also of great concern because repeated mild head injury has become an important health issue with potential long-term disability. True human tolerance to brain injury has yet to be established. Our scientific knowledge of brain injury is currently based on results derived from manikin, cadaver, and human volunteer testing, along with animal and computer models. The racing environment represents a venue to ethically measure and evaluate the forces involved in human brain injury.

Acceleration↗