Khan H S, Ahmed M, Butt H, Ali M, Hasan S.
Simple Reaction Time In Response To Auditory Stimuli In A Sample Population Of Rickshaw Drivers Recruited At CMH Lahore Medical College.
Biomedica Jan ;33(2):96-9.

Background and Objectives: Simple reaction time is used as an indicator of the ability of the central nervous system to receive information and to synchronize movement which is then executed through the peripheral nervous system. Abnormalities in reaction time in response to auditory stimuli may have profound effects on a driver’s performance. This study was conducted with an objective to compare the simple reaction time in a sample population of noise exposed rickshaw drivers and to compare it with non-exposed controls. Methods: Fourteen rickshaw drivers were enrolled in this comparatives study after informed consent. Ear examination and Pure Tone Audiometry was performed to rule out any profound hearing impairment. Simple reaction time was calculated by BioPac Student Data acquisition system. A group of 15 non-exposed subjects were also enrolled for the purpose of comparison. Results: Comparison of simple reaction time in response to random interval and fixed interval auditory clicks revealed that noise exposed rickshaw drivers had a much higher reaction time as compared to controls which was statistically significant (p-value = 0.001 and 0.029 respectively). Conclusions: The noise exposed rickshaw divers take more time to respond to auditory stimuli than age matched controls. There is a dire need to educate these drivers through public health awareness programs to prevent development of noise induced hearing loss and thus avoid frequent accidents.

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