Smartphone based hearing evaluation

Ophir Handzel*, Kevin Franck

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Smartphones are widely available, powerful handheld computers able to play and record sounds, and interface with other devices. Developers have released a large number of mobile medical applications (MMAs) designed to evaluate hearing. People with hearing loss may use these MMAs because they may not have access to traditional hearing healthcare providers. In addition to standard hearing assessment, providers may consider use of MMAs to reduce cost and improve flexibility of audiometric assessment. The majority of MMAs are designed to measure hearing thresholds, comprising only a portion of a standard comprehensive hearing test. This application can be limited by factors such as background noise, variation in output (ie, headphones) and users’ attention when self-administered. Some MMAs better leverage the reality of smartphone testing environments with non-threshold tests. Hearing evaluation MMAs are well-suited to screen, triage and monitor hearing as a complement to standard testing. Future evolution of smartphone-based hearing evaluation can make better use of this platform's advantages to serve as a substitute for some components of standard testing. Application development must comply with local regulatory oversight.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)87-91
Number of pages5
JournalOperative Techniques in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
Volume32
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2021

Keywords

  • Audiometry
  • Hearing evaluation
  • Smartphone

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