Accuracy of the mobile application-based audiometry for screening hearing loss

To evaluate the accuracy of the mobile application compared to that of conventional audiometry for screening hearing loss.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in the tertiary hospital between July 2023 and October 2024. A total of 200 participants, aged 18-65 years, who underwent conventional audiometry were included in the study. Each participant also completed a hearing test using a mobile application on a 9th-generation iPad in a quiet room. Mean differences in pure tone threshold (PTT) and pure tone average between conventional audiometry and the mobile application were analysed using a paired t-test. A Bland-Altman plot was used to assess agreement in PTT measurements between the two methods. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the mobile application were also calculated.

The mobile application demonstrated an overall accuracy of 81.5% in distinguishing between normal and abnormal hearing. A strong correlation was observed between thePTTs of the two methods at 4, 6, and 8 kHz. Sensitivity and specificity were PTTs of the two methods at 4, 6, and 8 kHz. Sensitivity and specificity were particularly high at these frequencies. The results indicated both systematic and random errors; however, after correction for mean differences, sensitivity improved while maintaining high specificity.

The Ear Test application demonstrated high accuracy in evaluating hearing thresholds at high frequencies but presented limitations at lower frequencies. These findings suggest its potential for screening sensorineural hearing loss, particularly at high frequencies. Further development of the application is recommended to address systemic errors.