An Open-Source Smartphone Otoacoustic Emissions Test for Infants

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Otoacoustic Emissions
• Infant Hearing Screening

Background:

• Universal infant hearing screening is critical for early detection of hearing loss.
• Existing equipment is often costly and not suitable for resource-limited settings.
• There is a need for accessible and scalable hearing screening tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a low-cost, smartphone-based device for infant hearing screening.
• To compare the performance of the smartphone device against a conventional otoacoustic emission (OAE) device.

Main Methods:

• Infants aged 0-6 months from high-prevalence clinics were recruited.
• A low-cost, open-source distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) probe and smartphone app were tested.
• Results were compared to a commercial OAE device, with hearing status confirmed by diagnostic testing.

Main Results:

• The smartphone device showed 100% sensitivity and 88% specificity.
• Negative predictive value was 100% for the smartphone device.
• Referral rates were comparable between the smartphone (24%) and conventional (26%) devices.

Conclusions:

• Smartphone-based DPOAE detection is an effective method for infant hearing screening.
• This technology presents a promising, low-cost solution for scalable newborn and infant hearing programs, particularly in resource-constrained environments.