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Home-Based Hearing Test with Smartphone Applications-A Prospective Study
Lara Carvalho1, Jawad Abdulla, Inez Dale-Jones
1Otolaryngology Department, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, UK.
Summary
Smartphone hearing test apps show high accuracy for identifying hearing loss. These tools, e-audiologia (EHT) and Yuichi Sakashita (YSHT), correlate well with traditional pure tone audiometry (PTA), suggesting potential for widespread use.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Digital Health
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Smartphone applications (Apps) have surged in healthcare use post-COVID-19.
- Self-hearing test Apps are now accessible on Android and iOS platforms.
- The diagnostic accuracy of these mobile health tools requires investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of smartphone self-hearing test Apps.
- To compare app-based hearing assessments with conventional pure tone audiometry (PTA).
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 38 adult patients (age 20-68) at an Audiovestibular Medicine Clinic.
- Utilized e-audiologia (EHT) for Android and Yuichi Sakashita (YSHT) for iOS.
- Compared app-derived hearing thresholds against gold standard PTA, defining hearing loss based on specific decibel levels at key frequencies.
Main Results:
- Combined Apps achieved 100% sensitivity and 76% specificity.
- Strong positive correlation (p < 0.001) observed between app thresholds and PTA.
- Maximum mean difference between app and PTA thresholds was 10.5-dB HL at 500 Hz.
Conclusions:
- EHT and YSHT Apps demonstrate significant potential for hearing screening and disorder monitoring.
- These apps can be integrated into primary care, audiology clinics, nursing homes, and public health initiatives.
- Smartphone hearing tests offer a viable tool for accessible audiological assessment.
