Beyond the audiogram: application of models of auditory fitness for duty to assess communication in the real world

Abstract

This manuscript provides a Commentary on a paper published in the current issue of the International Journal of Audiology and the companion paper published in Ear and Hearing by Soli et al. These papers report background, rationale and results of a novel modelling approach to assess “auditory fitness for duty,” or an individual's ability to perform hearing-critical tasks related to their job, based on their likelihood of effective speech communication in the listening environment in which the task is performed.

Key Words:

• Essential hearing-critical job tasks
• real-world listening environments
• functional hearing ability
• occupational hearing screening

Declaration of interest: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.