Evaluation of the Hearing Test Pro Application as a Screening Tool for Hearing Loss Assessment.

Abstract

Background: Disabling hearing loss is considered a significant health problem globally with high incidence in developing countries. In Africa, different studies have shown that one in five Africans uses smartphones. This dispositive can be used to screen hearing loss.

Aim: The study aims to appraise the effectiveness of Hearing Test Pro, an Android-based application, as a screening tool for hearing loss.

Methods: This is a prospective study developed in the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria, between September and December 2018. The study was approved by the institutional ethics committee. Consent of adult android users was conveniently obtained for the study. A regular audiometric test with Amplivox 260 was done after otoscopy (to exclude other ear pathology). The results were compared with the test developed by an android Hearing Test Pro app. A threshold of >40 decibels was used to determine any evidence of hearing loss at the specific frequency of 250-8000 Hz. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Three hundred and sixty ears of 180 patients were evaluated, of which 100 were male and 80 were female. The male-to-female ratio was 1.25:1. At lower frequency, a statistical difference between classical pure-tone thresholds recorded with the audiometer and the android phone was documented. However, this difference was not noted at higher frequencies.

Conclusion: The Hearing Test Pro app effectively distinguishes between high-frequency hearing loss and thus can be useful as part of the hearing loss screening programs.