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The Accuracy of Self-Administered Web- and App-Based Tools for Audiometric Tests-A Systematic Review
Sahuur Abdullahi Ahmed Sheikh Hassan1, Uffe Kock Wiil1, Ali Ebrahimi1
1SDU Health Informatics and Technology, The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark.
Audiology Research
|June 25, 2025
Summary
Self-administered hearing test apps show promise for remote screening but require more validation. Diagnostic accuracy varies widely, with some tools performing well, but standardization is needed for reliable clinical use.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Digital Health
- Diagnostic Accuracy
Background:
- Hearing loss is a growing public health concern.
- Traditional pure-tone audiometry (PTA) is the gold standard but can be inaccessible.
- Web- and app-based tools offer potential for remote hearing assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the diagnostic accuracy of self-administered web- and app-based audiometric tools.
- To compare these digital tools against the gold standard, pure-tone audiometry (PTA).
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE (2014-2024).
- Inclusion of 12 studies evaluating 15 applications with 2453 participants.
- Quality assessment using QUADAS-2 tool, noting risk of bias in most studies.
Main Results:
- Wide variability in diagnostic accuracy reported: sensitivity (18-100%), specificity (35.5-99.1%), accuracy (14-97.4%).
- SHOEBOX and Screenout apps showed high accuracy; others had inconsistent results.
- Heterogeneity in definitions, environments, and equipment limited comparability; many studies lacked soundproof settings.
Conclusions:
- Self-administered audiometric tools show potential for remote hearing screening.
- Further validation and methodological standardization are crucial.
- Clinicians must exercise caution due to current performance variability.
