Stethoscopes: Real‐ear measurements and digital frequency transposition

Physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals with hearing loss sometimes consult audiologists or other hearing professionals for advice or recommendations on the use of stethoscopes.1 While many audiologists are aware that electronic (amplified) stethoscopes exist, far fewer are familiar with the response characteristics of these devices or with the sounds that they are intended to amplify. Given the reliance of healthcare providers upon our expertise in audition and amplification, it is important that we gain a basic understanding of stethoscopes and the body sounds that they transmit to the user’s ears.

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