An Initial Validation of Community-Based Air-Conduction Audiometry in Adults With Simulated Hearing Impairment Using...

Area of Science:

• Audiology and Hearing Science
• Digital Health Technologies
• Public Health

Background:

• Conductive hearing impairment, such as glue ear affecting 80% of children, can significantly impact speech and social development.
• A web-based application, DigiBel, has been developed to identify individuals with hearing loss who might benefit from bone-conduction assistive devices.
• This research focuses on the preliminary assessment of DigiBel's effectiveness in a community setting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the screening accuracy of the DigiBel self-assessed air-conduction (AC) pure tone audiometry.
• To assess the usability of the DigiBel application in adult volunteers with simulated hearing impairment.
• To gather preliminary data before formal clinical validation.

Main Methods:

• Healthy adult volunteers with one plugged ear performed both automated AC pure tone audiometry and DigiBel audiometry.
• Threshold measurements were compared across six frequencies, and DigiBel's test-retest reliability was calculated.
• The study included 30 adults (30 plugged ears, 30 unplugged ears) and assessed DigiBel's accuracy in detecting over 20 dB hearing impairment.

Main Results:

• DigiBel demonstrated 100% sensitivity and 72.73% specificity in detecting hearing impairment.
• Insignificant mean bias in threshold measurements was observed, except for a slight overestimation at 4000 and 8000 Hz.
• All participants found the DigiBel test easy to use, with 88% confident in performing it independently at home.

Conclusions:

• The DigiBel application shows promise as a screening tool for hearing impairment in community settings.
• The study results support the potential utility of DigiBel for identifying individuals needing further audiological assessment.
• Findings will inform software improvements for a forthcoming clinical trial on conductive hearing impairment.