The word audiology is made up of two roots: Audio and Logy. ‘Audio’ refers to ‘hear’ and ‘logy’ to ‘the study of’. In essence, audiology is the study of hearing - as the inner ear is also required for balance, this is also included in the study. In medical terms it is the branch of science dedicated to the study of hearing, balance and their associated disorders.
There are a number of diagnostic tests that can be employed by an audiologist to help better understand the disorder that a patient is suffering from. Some of these include auditory brainstem evoked response and auditory steady state response testing, otoacoustic emissions, acousitic immittance measures, visual reinforcement and play audiometry for children.
The type of diagnosis made will depend on the symptoms that the patient is complaining about. Not all diagnostic tests are done on all patients. It is the job of the audiologist to narrow down the testing options based on what he learns from the patient, their family history and other physical indications and symptoms.