Establishment of the characterization of an adult digits-in-noise test based on internet

Abstract

Objective:The aim of this study is to explore the sensitivity and specificity of the internet-based digital noise threshold (DIN) test for detecting noise-induced hearing loss, expecting to provide a rapid and effective screening tool for clinical application. Method:This study enrolled 50 adult subjects, of which 34 were normal hearing (NH), 16 patients with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Pure-tone audiometry, acoustic immittance and DIN test were tested respectively. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between NH and SNHL. The eigenvalues, sensitivities and specificities of the tested materials were determined by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) and the area under the curve. Result:①The correlation between the speech recognition threshold (SRTn) and pure tone audiometry thresholds (average of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz) was 0.85 (P<0.01). ②The optimal cut off point for DIN-based test materials under noise based on Internet technology was -9.5 dB, which means that hearing loss is highly suspect when DIN is above this value under noise and should be referred to a hearing center for diagnostic tests. ③The sensitivity and specificity was 0.938 and 0.941 respectively with -0.95 dB as the best cutoff point. Conclusion:This DIN test based on Internet, which has an excellent performance as a hearing screening method with good sensitivity and specificity, could be an effective tool for large-scale adult hearing screening.