Validated Smartphone-Based Apps for Ear and Hearing Assessments: A Review

Area of Science:

• Digital health innovations in audiology.
• Mobile health (mHealth) applications for global health.
• Public health strategies for hearing impairment prevention.

Background:

• Millions globally suffer from disabling hearing impairment, predominantly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
• Effective hearing screening is crucial to mitigate adverse effects of untreated hearing loss.
• Barriers in LMICs include a lack of trained professionals and expensive equipment, hindering early detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and compare available smartphone applications for ear and hearing assessments.
• To evaluate the potential integration of these mobile health tools into hearing screening programs.

Main Methods:

• Searched Google Play and Apple App Store for ear and hearing assessment apps.
• Conducted a literature search across six databases to find validation studies for identified apps.
• Compared the accuracy of validated apps against gold standard audiology measures.

Main Results:

• Thirty apps were identified in app stores, primarily for audiometry.
• Eleven validation studies examined six distinct apps.
• The 'uHear' app showed the most validation studies (n=5) for self-administered audiometry, though accuracy varied.

Conclusions:

• A limited number of ear and hearing assessment apps have undergone peer-reviewed validation.
• Independent research is essential to ascertain the diagnostic accuracy of validated mobile health applications.
• Further investigation is required to confirm the reliability of these tools for detecting ear and hearing conditions.