Objective: To determine the feasibility of audiometric screening with tablet-based applications in typical clinic locations: examination room and clinic waiting area.
Study Design: A randomized prospective study.
Setting: Tertiary referral center.
Patients: Participants included 107 adult patients referred for audiometric testing to assess hearing loss.
Intervention: Each patient completed standard audiometry testing and one of three tablet-based audiometric applications that included pure-tone air conduction testing. The tablet-based audiometric testing was completed in a quiet examination room and a clinic waiting area using noise-cancellation headphones. A 5-question patient satisfaction survey was completed at the end of the testing.
Main Outcome Measure: Thresholds at each frequency were compared with those obtained from tablet-based audiometric applications in a quiet examination room and clinic waiting area. Sensitivity and specificity of each tablet-based audiogram in detecting a hearing loss at each frequency was determined.
Results: All three tablet-based audiometric applications were user-friendly for hearing screening. However, one application was shown to be feasible and the most accurate of the three tested with 92% of thresholds within 10 dB of conventional audiometry across all test conditions. This application had a sensitivity of 96 to 100% and specificity of 72 to 85% for identifying a hearing loss in each frequency tested. Variability was noted among applications between testing in a quiet clinic room and testing in the clinic waiting area. Patients showed no preference for either conventional audiometry or the tablet-based device.
Conclusion: Tablet-based audiometric applications can be used to screen for hearing loss in typical clinic locations. This tool does not replace standard audiometry testing but allows for screening for hearing disorders when appropriate and in settings without access to audiometric equipment.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MAO.0000000000001752 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Development and Beta Validation of an mHealth-Based Hearing Screener (SRESHT) for Young Children in Resource-Limited Countries: Pilot Validation Study.
JMIR Form Res
January 2025
Faculty of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India.
Background: The prevalence of hearing loss in infants in India varies between 4 and 5 per 1000. Objective-based otoacoustic emissions and auditory brainstem response have been used in high-income countries for establishing early hearing screening and intervention programs. Nevertheless, the use of objective screening tests in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as India is not feasible.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKids are not just small adults: An attempt to validate pediatric tablet-based digits in noise testing.
Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol
October 2024
ENT and Facial Plastic Surgery, Children's Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota USA.
Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate whether conductive hearing loss (CHL) can be differentiated from sensorineural hearing loss in children ages 3-18 using a diotic and antiphasic digits-in-noise (DIN) tablet-based test using existing adult cut-off criteria.
Methods: A blinded multi-institutional prospective cohort of 64 children aged 3-18 scheduled for an audiometric soundbooth evaluation with a pediatric audiologist and a same-day otolaryngologist examination were recruited for the study. Following a conventional audiogram, the subjects underwent diotic (same-phased stimuli) and antiphasic (out-of-phase stimuli) DIN testing on a HearX Samsung Galaxy tablet with over-the-ear headphones, for a total of 128 measurements.
A Comparison of Hearing Thresholds, and the Resulting Prescribed Gain and Hearing Aid Outputs, Using Gold Standard Audiometry and the TympaHealth Hearing Assessment Tool.
Am J Audiol
September 2024
TympaHealth Technologies Ltd, London, United Kingdom.
Article Synopsis
- A study evaluated a phone- and tablet-based hearing testing system from TympaHealth by comparing its results with standard audiometry in 35 adults.
- The TympaHealth system produced hearing thresholds that were slightly higher (indicating poorer hearing) than standard measurements, but most differences were within an acceptable range.
- The research suggests that portable hearing testing systems could effectively allow for testing and hearing aid fittings outside of traditional clinical settings, such as pharmacies and care homes.
Evaluation of Portable Tablet-Based Audiometry in a South Indian Population.
Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg
December 2022
Department of Otolaryngology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS USA.
While a comprehensive booth audiogram is the gold standard for diagnosis of hearing loss, access to this may not be available in remote and low resource settings. The aims of this study were to validate a tablet-based audiometer in a tertiary medical center in India and explore its capacity in improving access to hearing healthcare. Subjects presenting to Ear-Nose-Throat clinics for conventional booth audiometry testing were recruited for subsequent tablet-based audiometric testing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSchool Hearing Screening With a Portable, Tablet-Based, Noise-Attenuating Audiometric Headset in Rural Nicaragua.
Otol Neurotol
December 2022
Department of Medicine Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Space Medicine Innovations Laboratory, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA.
Objective: To investigate the utility and effectiveness of a noise-attenuating, tablet-based mobile health system combined with asynchronous telehealth evaluations for screening rural Nicaraguan schoolchildren for hearing loss.
Study Design: Prospective population-based survey.
Setting: Rural Nicaraguan communities.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!