Evaluation of hearing protection device effectiveness for musicians.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To evaluate musicians' personal attenuation and perceptions of three types of hearing protection devices (HPDs): formable foam earplugs and both non-custom and custom versions of uniform attenuation earplugs (UAEs) marketed to musicians.

Design

A mixed-methods approach was used to evaluate the HPDs. Audiometric testing obtained hearing levels at baseline and with each HPD across frequencies (125-8000 Hz) to determine personal attenuation ratings and uniformity of attenuation. Participants completed surveys over six months regarding how often they used the HPDs and their perceptions about wearing them.

Study sample

Twenty-four musicians were recruited to participate.

Results

Substantial variability was observed in the attenuation achieved among partici

SUBMITTER: Crawford K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11915204 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature