Accuracy of Cellular Applications in the identification of hearing impairment
Audiology; Hearing Loss; Smartphone; Mobile Applications; Diagnosis;
Introduction: Early diagnosis of hearing loss, and measuring the ability to understand speech in the presence of background noise in any listener, is still a challenge. The use of effective assessment tools can be enhanced through the use of new technologies, such as mobile applications. Objective: To identify the efficacy of cellular applications for the detection of hearing loss through a systematic review and to verify the accuracy of the software-based noise test in Brazilian Portuguese in a study of accuracy. Methods: This dissertation is composed of two articles, the first one related to a systematic review study that, through databases and the gray literature, searched for articles of accuracy involving cellular applications in the detection of hearing loss. The second article deals with a cross-sectional and descriptive field study. It will involve two groups: individuals with hearing loss (Working Group) and normal hearing (Control Group). The sample estimate is 296 patients from the SUS hearing service, aged over 12 years and of both genders, and to date, 133 subjects were evaluated. Each individual is being submitted to auditory screening through the noise digit test - TDR (Portuguese version) and the basic audiological evaluation. Results: In article one, 19 articles were included so far in these studies. 3 applications are currently studied and have been shown to be effective in the detection of auditory alterations. For article two, we obtained 56 men and 77 women, with a mean age of 54 years, of whom 46 had normal bilateral hearing or in the best ear and 84 had hearing loss. To date it is possible to observe that TDR shows a more positive signal-to-noise ratio for individuals with more significant and more negative hearing loss for individuals with normal hearing or mild hearing loss.