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Original Research
App-Based Hearing Screenings May Improve Diagnosis of Hearing Disorders in Family Practice
Background and Goal:Hearing loss is a common deficit that remains underdiagnosed. Pure-tone audiometry, the gold standard for assessing hearing impairment, is costly and time-consuming. This study evaluated the acceptability and feasibility of hearing screening in the routine practice of private family medicine using two self-tests.
Study Approach: 516 consecutive patients aged older than 10 years attending three private French family-practice clinics were invited to undergo hearing screening. After a brief explanation, patients wore calibrated Bluetooth headphones and completed two tablet-based hearing tests: SoTone, which measures pure-tone thresholds, and SoNoise, which assesses speech recognition in noise. Any positive result led the general practitioner to recommend an ear-nose-throat (ENT) consultation. Adherence was checked by phone 1–3 months later.
Main Results:
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Of 516 patients eligible for screening, 219 (42%) completed the screening.
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On average, it took six minutes and eight seconds for consent, instruction, and completion of testing.
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Of the 219 people screened, 59 (27%) screened positive for some hearing impairment and were referred to an ENT specialist. Only 16 patients ultimately followed up, 14 of whom had confirmed hearing loss, and 8 received a prescription for hearing aids.
Why It Matters:Hearing problems are common, but often go undiagnosed in primary care. Even when hearing problems are identified, many patients don’t follow up with specialists. The findings from this study show that tablet-based hearing tests may help general practitioners improve the diagnosis of hearing disorders.
Hearing Screening in Private Family Practice Medicine Using Tablet Applications
Jean-Charles Ceccato, et al
Montpellier Neuroscience Institute, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
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