Smartphone threshold audiometry in underserved primary health-care contexts.
Int J Audiol
; 55(4): 232-8, 2016.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26795898
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.Key words
Full text:
1
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Primary Health Care
/
Audiometry, Pure-Tone
/
Auditory Threshold
/
Acoustic Stimulation
/
Smartphone
/
Hearing Disorders
/
Medically Underserved Area
Type of study:
Prognostic_studies
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
Africa
Language:
En
Journal:
Int J Audiol
Journal subject:
AUDIOLOGIA
Year:
2016
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Sweden