The U.S. National Hearing Test, a 2013–2014 progress report

Abstract

A telephone-administered screening test for sensorineural hearing loss was made publically available in the United States in September 2013. This test is similar to the digits-in-noise test developed by Smits and colleagues in the Netherlands, versions of which are now in use in most European countries and in Australia. The test was initially offered in the United States for a small fee ($8, then $4) but after a year of promotion it became clear that either the fee or the complexity of paying it was inhibiting. During the first month in which the test was subsequently offered free of charge, 31,806 calls were made to the test line, of which 26,507 were completed tests. Analyses of test performance suggest that about 81% of the test takers had at least a mild hearing loss, and 40% had a substantial loss (estimated to be in excess of 45 dB PTA). Follow-up studies are being conducted to determine whether those who failed the test sought a full-scale hearing assessment, and whether those advised to obtain hearing aids did so. [Work funded by Grant No. 5R44DC009719 from the National Institute for Deafness and other Communication Disorders.]