Otis – the virtual patient

Audiometry training with virtual patients

Edition Student

Location-independent and flexible with “Otis – the virtual patient”

You can install the cost-effective Edition Student of Otis on your own computer and practice audiometry whenever and wherever you like.

This Edition Student is particularly appreciated by educational institutions, as it offers their students a high degree of flexibility and at the same time provides the necessary tools to optimally support the students remotely.

The licenses can be purchased directly from the online shop:

Otis — the virtual patient simulates a range of complex hearing defects so that correct audiometry can be administered without having to burden a patient at all.

The software intelligently and realistically simulates the behaviour of the patient and detects possible user errors immediately. The program guides the learner through the exercises at several levels of difficulty and provides useful help.

“Audiometry is a matter of practice. Correct results can only be achieved with a great deal of practice and a feeling for the activity - and so beginners need a lot of training. That is what Otis – the virtual patient provides and a book doesn’t...“

Optimizing Education

Otis – the virtual patient shortens the time needed for training, as all types of hearing impairment can be simulated for audiometry testing at any time. In this way, proficiency in procedures can be improved, and the skills acquired can be put into practice significantly faster.

Using the program, experienced practitioners also have the opportunity to acquire routine in working with complex hearing impairments, thus decisively increasing client safety. The integration of autonomous learning concepts allows learners to work simply and efficiently wherever they are, and thus make best use of their time.

Developed by Experts

Otis – the virtual patient was developed in close cooperation with consultants at the University Hospital in Zurich, the Academy for Hearing Aid Acoustics in Lubeck and the Aston University in Birmingham. Otis – the virtual patient does not just set completely new quality standards; it has also been extremely well received by experts. Its fundamental benefits compared with traditional methods have led to educational and training institutions, private hearing aid dispensaries, medical practices and hospitals throughout the world integrating it into their training and staff development programmes within a short time after the product launch.

Concept

Otis – the virtual patient presents a completely new approach to running training courses for audiologists.

During the actual audiometry course, the instructors focus on teaching the theory and providing the participants with an introduction to using the program Otis.

After the course, the participants have the opportunity to deepen the theoretical competence they have acquired autonomously either on a distance learning course or in a suitably equipped skills lab and apply them with Otis – the virtual patient.

At the same time, exercises and analysis data are exchanged over the Internet so that each learner may be individually supervised and supported by the trainers.

These courses can finish with a test which the participants can take using a PC not tied to any particular location.

“Dear Mr. Wille, this summer I read your book on audiometry. To my opinion it is perfect! Especially Chapter 7.2 is very close to my experience! So I congratulate you with this thoughtful book. Kindest regards!“

Dr Alexander Gunenkov

National Medical Academy
Moscow, Russia

“Our students have found Otis the virtual patient to be very useful in attaining the technical skills for testing. The case bank is particularly helpful in preparing students for a variety of hearing loss configurations prior to their first clinical encounters with clients.“

Yee-Foong Stone

Macquarie University
Sydney, Australia

Editions

Otis – the virtual patient is available in two editions: Edition Pro and Edition Expert

Edition Pro

The Edition Pro of Otis – the virtual patient has been specially designed for individual audiologist training, medical practices and private hearing aid dispensers.

Conducting complex hearing tests requires a high level of training and continuing professional development in the field of audiometry. It is to meet this need that Otis Pro has been developed with its user-friendly interface and numerous features.

The didactically designed software familiarizes learners with audiometry at a selectable level of difficultly and monitors each and every step. Accurate analysis of the measuring processes also allows the learning objectives to be continually monitored and adapted.

Otis Pro is therefore the instrument of choice for cost reduction whilst quality demands increase.

Quality enhancing features

Increased reliability when measuring complex hearing impairments
Prevention of measurement errors
Increased reliability and comfort for the patient due to training without hearing test participant
Completely objective feedback

Cost-saving features

Intensive autonomous training
Less supervision during audiologist training
More efficient measurements thanks to more routine
Otis Pro can be used on any PC for training purposes

Edition Expert

The Otis Expert of Otis – the virtual patient was developed specially for course leaders and training managers; it provides numerous functions to allow the patient profiles and exercise data to be tailored to the particular needs of learners. With the additional assessment module, you can generate and evaluate student exams.

The Otis Expert for trainers and tutors in conjunction with the Edition Pro for learners provides a completely new training concept, combining the most up-to-date communication technologies with traditional didactic principles.

Otis Expert therefore the instrument of choice for increasing the efficiency of continuing training.

Quality enhancing features

Standardized training
Better routine and certainty when masking
Individual feedback from the software and from tutor via the internet
Completely objective feedback

Cost-saving features

Training without actual test subjects
Intensive and autonomous learning
Reduced staff costs for running training courses
Practice facility without having to rely on expensive audiometers

The training package comprises (Edition Pro and Edition Expert):

software with more than 100 exercises to different hearing defects and impairments
didactically structured textbook, “Audiometry – A Manual for the Practitioner“ by Dr Thomas Spillmann and Christoph Wille (3rd extended edition)
user handbook
two summary cards with flow diagrams and abbreviated descriptions
numerous exercise modules with detailed descriptions
free-of-charge download of the newest exercises and descriptions

System Requirements

Component

Minimal Requirement

Operating System*

Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11

Harddisk space

200 MB

RAM

512 MB

Screen resolution

1024 x 768 pixel

Zusätzliche Software

Adobe Acrobat Reader

*If you wish to use it on a Apple computer, you will need to run it on a PC emulator (e.g. Parallels).

“I think the theory manual is excellent. For me it all fits together. I think a beginner like myself can really tell whether a theory manual is any good or not. And I think I’ve really understood it!“