Accuracy of smartphone-based hearing screening tests: a systematic review.

Inara Maria Monteiro Melo,Hannalice Gottschalk Cavalcanti,Aline Roberta Xavier Silva,Sheila Andreoli Balen,Rodolpho Camargo,Deborah Viviane Ferrari,Karinna Veríssimo Meira Taveira

doi:10.1590/2317-1782/20212020380

Inara Maria Monteiro Melo, Hannalice Gottschalk Cavalcanti + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-1782/20212020380

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Abstract

To verify the accuracy of smartphone apps to identify hearing loss. A systematic review followed the PRISMA-DATA checklist. The search strategies were applied across four databases (Lilacs, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) and grey literature (Google Scholar, OpenGrey, and ProQuest Dissertations and Thesis). The acronym PIRD was used in review. This included populations of any gender and all age groups. The Index test is the smartphone-based hearing screening test; the Reference test is the pure-tone audiometry, which is considered the gold reference for hearing diagnostics; the diagnosis was performed via validity data (sensitivity and specificity) to identify hearing loss and diagnostic studies. Two reviewers selected the studies in a two-step process. The risk of bias was assessed according to the criteria of the QUADAS-2. Of 1395 articles, 104 articles were eligible for full-text reading and 17 were included. Only four met all criteria for methodological quality. All of the included studies were published in English between 2015 and 2020. The applications Digits-in noise Test (5 articles), uHear (4 articles), HearScreen (2 articles), hearTest (2 articles) and Hearing Test (2 articles) were the most studied. All this application showed sensitivity and specificity values between 75 and 100%. The other applications were EarScale, uHearing Test, Free field hearing (FFH) and Free Hearing Test. uHear, Digit-in-Noise Test, HearTest and HearScreen have shown significant values of sensitivity and specificity and can be considered as the most accurate methods for screening of hearing impairment.

Highlights

RESEARCH STRATEGYIt is estimated that 460 million people live with hearing impairment worldwide
The Index test is the smartphone-based hearing screening test; the Reference test is the pure-tone audiometry, which is considered the gold reference fo‐ hearing diagnostics; the diagnosis was performed via validity data to identify hearing loss and diagnostic studies[20]
The authors included studies that relied on smartphone-based hearing screening tests to identify hearing loss to any degree and compared their results to pure-tone audiometry, which is considered the reference standard for audiological evaluation

Summary

INTRODUCTION

It is estimated that 460 million people live with hearing impairment worldwide. Of these, 40.19 million are in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a projection of 87 million people in 2050(1). The Index test is the smartphone-based hearing screening test; the Reference test is the pure-tone audiometry, which is considered the gold reference fo‐ hearing diagnostics; the diagnosis was performed via validity data (sensitivity and specificity) to identify hearing loss and diagnostic studies[20]. The authors included studies that relied on smartphone-based hearing screening tests to identify hearing loss to any degree and compared their results to pure-tone audiometry, which is considered the reference standard for audiological evaluation. The final selection was based on the reading of the full texts when each of the following items was identified: author, year and country, sample and age group, app/test type, test procedures, sensitivity, and specificity. The authors used the Cochrane Collaboration’s program Review Manager 5.3 to generate the figures

Summary measures

RESULTS

DISCUSSION