Abu-Ghanem Sara, Handzel Ophir, Ness Lior, Ben-Artzi-Blima Miri, Fait-Ghelbendorf Karin, Himmelfarb Mordechai
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
The Cochlear Implant Program, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, 6 Weizmann St., Tel-Aviv, 6423906, Israel.
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2016 Feb;273(2):333-9. doi: 10.1007/s00405-015-3533-9. Epub 2015 Feb 6.
Hearing loss is widespread among the elderly. One of the main obstacles to rehabilitation is identifying individuals with potentially correctable hearing loss. Smartphone-based hearing tests can be administered at home, thus greatly facilitating access to screening. This study evaluates the use of a smartphone application as a screening tool for hearing loss in individuals aged ≥ 65 years. Twenty-six subjects aged 84.4 ± 6.73 years (mean ± SD) were recruited. Pure-tone audiometry was administered by both a smartphone application (uHear for iPhone, v1.0 Unitron, Canada) and a standard portable audiometer by trained personnel. Participants also completed a questionnaire on their hearing. Pure-tone thresholds were compared between the two testing modalities and correlated with the questionnaire results. The cutoff point for failing screening tests was a pure tone average of 40 dB for the frequencies 250-6,000 Hz. The smartphone application's pure tone thresholds were higher (poorer hearing) than the audiometric thresholds, with a significant difference in all frequencies but 2,000 Hz. The application and the audiometric values were in agreement for 24 subjects (92 %). The application had a sensitivity of 100 % and specificity of 60 % for screening compared with the audiometer. The questionnaire was significantly less accurate, having assigned a passing score to three participants who failed both the application and audiometric tests. While a smartphone application may not be able to accurately determine the level of hearing impairment, it is useful as a highly accessible portable audiometer substitute for screening for hearing loss in elderly populations.
听力损失在老年人中很普遍。康复的主要障碍之一是识别出听力损失有可能得到纠正的个体。基于智能手机的听力测试可以在家中进行，从而极大地方便了筛查。本研究评估了一款智能手机应用程序作为65岁及以上个体听力损失筛查工具的使用情况。招募了26名年龄为84.4±6.73岁（均值±标准差）的受试者。由一名经过培训的人员使用一款智能手机应用程序（适用于iPhone的uHear，版本1.0，加拿大Unitron公司）和一台标准便携式听力计进行纯音听力测定。参与者还完成了一份关于其听力的问卷。比较了两种测试方式的纯音阈值，并将其与问卷结果进行关联。筛查测试不合格的临界点是250 - 6000Hz频率的纯音平均听阈为40dB。智能手机应用程序的纯音阈值高于听力测定阈值（听力较差），除2000Hz外所有频率均存在显著差异。该应用程序与听力测定值在24名受试者（92%）中一致。与听力计相比，该应用程序筛查的灵敏度为100%，特异性为60%。问卷的准确性明显较低，有三名在应用程序测试和听力测定测试中均不合格的参与者被评定为通过。虽然智能手机应用程序可能无法准确确定听力损伤程度，但作为一种高度便捷的便携式听力计替代品，它对于老年人群体听力损失的筛查是有用的。
