Calibration is the Audiologists Responsibility

Calibration of audiometric equipment should be an essential component of every facility that provides audiologic services.  Calibration should include daily biological verifications that the audiometer is functioning properly and at least annual electroacoustic verification that all equipment is meeting current American National Standards Institute (ANSI) guidelines.  These calibrations should always be performed by qualified individuals who are using calibration instrumentation that has been certified and is traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Although most Audiologists do not perform their own audiometric calibration, it is important that they are familiar with calibration procedures and techniques.  To verify that their equipment is being calibrated to meet current standards, Audiologists should ask for copies of the calibration certificate and ensure that this certificate lists the NIST traceable certification of all instrumentation used to perform the calibration.  

It is the responsibility of the practicing Audiologist to ensure that when testing patients, his/her equipment is calibrated in accordance to the current accepted standards.  Ideally, an Audiologist will have clinical equipment calibrated on a regular basis by a company who is certified to perform this task.  This however is the extent to which Audiologists will normally go when calibrating their equipment.  If the equipment were to be incorrectly calibrated, it could potentially be serious for both the Audiologist and his patients.  Poorly calibrated equipment may lead to errors in assessment, leading to inappropriate treatment/recommendations for patients.  Image assessing a patient as having a hearing loss when in fact no hearing impairment is present.  Audiologist can face legal action if they practice with equipment that is not calibrated properly.  Whether he is aware of this or not is irrelevant because it is the responsibility of the Audiologist to provide accurate assessment.  For this reason, it is imperative that the practicing Audiologist be aware when their clinical equipment needs to be calibrated.   

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