Josefin Sandström1,2, De Wet Swanepoel3,4,5, Hermanus Carel Myburgh6, Claude Laurent2,3. 1. a Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine , Family Medicine, Umeå University , Umeå , Sweden . 2. b Department of Clinical Science, Otorhinolaryngology , Umeå University , Umeå , Sweden . 3. c Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology , University of Pretoria , Pretoria , South Africa . 4. d Ear Science Institute Australia , Subiaco , Australia . 5. e Ear Sciences Centre, School of Surgery , The University of Western Australia , Nedlands , Australia , and. 6. f Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Computer Engineering , University of Pretoria , Pretoria , South Africa.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To validate a calibrated smartphone-based hearing test in a sound booth environment and in primary health-care clinics. DESIGN: A repeated-measure within-subject study design was employed whereby air-conduction hearing thresholds determined by smartphone-based audiometry was compared to conventional audiometry in a sound booth and a primary health-care clinic environment. STUDY SAMPLE: A total of 94 subjects (mean age 41 years ± 17.6 SD and range 18-88; 64% female) were assessed of whom 64 were tested in the sound booth and 30 within primary health-care clinics without a booth. RESULTS: In the sound booth 63.4% of conventional and smartphone thresholds indicated normal hearing (≤15 dBHL). Conventional thresholds exceeding 15 dB HL corresponded to smartphone thresholds within ≤10 dB in 80.6% of cases with an average threshold difference of -1.6 dB ± 9.9 SD. In primary health-care clinics 13.7% of conventional and smartphone thresholds indicated normal hearing (≤15 dBHL). Conventional thresholds exceeding 15 dBHL corresponded to smartphone thresholds within ≤10 dB in 92.9% of cases with an average threshold difference of -1.0 dB ± 7.1 SD. CONCLUSIONS: Accurate air-conduction audiometry can be conducted in a sound booth and without a sound booth in an underserved community health-care clinic using a smartphone.
OBJECTIVE: To validate a calibrated smartphone-based hearing test in a sound booth environment and in primary health-care clinics. DESIGN: A repeated-measure within-subject study design was employed whereby air-conduction hearing thresholds determined by smartphone-based audiometry was compared to conventional audiometry in a sound booth and a primary health-care clinic environment. STUDY SAMPLE: A total of 94 subjects (mean age 41 years ± 17.6 SD and range 18-88; 64% female) were assessed of whom 64 were tested in the sound booth and 30 within primary health-care clinics without a booth. RESULTS: In the sound booth 63.4% of conventional and smartphone thresholds indicated normal hearing (≤15 dBHL). Conventional thresholds exceeding 15 dB HL corresponded to smartphone thresholds within ≤10 dB in 80.6% of cases with an average threshold difference of -1.6 dB ± 9.9 SD. In primary health-care clinics 13.7% of conventional and smartphone thresholds indicated normal hearing (≤15 dBHL). Conventional thresholds exceeding 15 dBHL corresponded to smartphone thresholds within ≤10 dB in 92.9% of cases with an average threshold difference of -1.0 dB ± 7.1 SD. CONCLUSIONS: Accurate air-conduction audiometry can be conducted in a sound booth and without a sound booth in an underserved community health-care clinic using a smartphone.
Entities:
Keywords:
Audiometry; air conduction; ambient noise; automated audiometer; mHealth; smartphone