Validity, Reliability, and Usability of the Automated Method for Testing Auditory Sensitivity With Malay...

The Automated Method for Testing Auditory Sensitivity (AMTAS) is a promising automated hearing assessment tool currently available as an alternative for conducting hearing assessments. The aim of this study was to assess the validity, reliability, and usability of the AMTAS in a Malaysian population.

This study included 100 participants who participated in validity testing, 30 in reliability testing, and 232 participants who answered the Malay version of the mHealth Application Usability Questionnaire (M-MAUQ). The test was conducted at a general hospital and district hospital. Hearing thresholds were compared between conventional pure-tone audiometry and AMTAS for validation. The hearing threshold of the AMTAS was measured twice to investigate the test-retest reliability. The usability of the AMTAS was analyzed based on M-MAUQ scores for ease of use, interface and satisfaction, and usefulness after the participants used the AMTAS.

The mean difference in hearing thresholds between these two methods ranged from 1.25 dB to 3.40 dB at the general hospital and 0.30 dB to 3.35 dB at the district hospital, with over 95% of participants exhibiting a mean difference within ±10 dB. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the test-retest reliability of the AMTAS ranged from 0.64 to 0.99 across tested frequencies. The overall mean scores of the M-MAUQ for each item ranged from 6.31 to 6.80 out of a full score of 7, indicating excellent usability of the AMTAS.

This study revealed that the AMTAS is a valid and reliable approach for measuring hearing status in the Malaysian population, demonstrating high user satisfaction.