Validation of the Home Hearing Test™.

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Telehealth
• Medical Devices

Background:

• The Home Hearing Test™ (HHT) is an automated pure-tone threshold test designed for increased accessibility to hearing assessments.
• It generates an air-conduction audiogram across five key frequencies, supporting home telehealth initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy of the Home Hearing Test™ (HHT) by comparing its results to traditional in-clinic audiograms.
• The study was part of a larger audiology telehealth trial within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, repeated measures design was employed.
• Twenty-eight participants (mean age 65) with varying hearing statuses were recruited.
• Home Hearing Test™ (HHT) air-conduction audiograms were compared against in-clinic audiograms using Automated Method for Testing Auditory Sensitivity (AMTAS®) and manual threshold data.

Main Results:

• Differences between HHT and clinic audiograms were slightly larger than inter-audiologist or laboratory-based AMTAS® comparisons.
• These observed differences were not statistically significant, indicating good agreement.

Conclusions:

• The Home Hearing Test™ (HHT) demonstrates strong agreement with in-clinic audiometric evaluations.
• HHT is a viable and effective tool for home telehealth applications and personal hearing monitoring.