DESIGN: Part 1 involved electroacoustic measurement and biological calibration of a laptop-earphone pair used for the computer-based audiometry (CBA). Part 2 compared CBA thresholds obtained without a sound booth with those measured using the gold-standard clinical audiometry.
STUDY SAMPLE: 17 young normal-hearing volunteers (Part 1) and 43 normal and hearing loss subjects (Part 2) recruited from an audiology clinic via convenience sampling.
RESULTS: The transducer-device combination produced outputs suitable for measuring thresholds down to 0 dB HL. Threshold pairs obtained from the CBA and clinical audiometry were highly correlated (Spearman's correlation coefficient, ρ = 0.92, p 25 dB HL.
CONCLUSIONS: The use of a computer-based audiometer application with consumer insert phone-earmuff combination can offer a cost-effective solution for boothless screening audiometry.
DESIGN AND STUDY SAMPLE: Study 1 determined ETSPL values in 25 normal-hearing subjects aged 18-25 years at seven test frequencies (500-8000 Hz). Study 2 assessed the intra- and inter-session test-retest threshold reliability in a separate group of 50 adult subjects.
RESULTS: The ETSPL values for the consumer IE deviated from the reference values for audiometric IEs, with the largest differences (7-9 dB) observed at 500 Hz across ear tips. This is likely related to shallow tip insertions. However, test-retest threshold variations were comparable to those reported for audiometric transducers.
CONCLUSIONS: Ear tip-specific corrections to the reference thresholds in the standards are required for calibration of consumer IEs used in low-cost audiometry when their ear tips only allow superficial insertion into the ear canal.
DESIGN: A large-scale prospective survey collected patient-reported problems associated with tinnitus in 485 adults attending four major ENT clinics in Eastern and Southern mainland China.
RESULTS: The evidence suggests that patients in China express a narrower range of problem domains associated with the lived experience of tinnitus. While 13 tinnitus-related problem domains were confirmed, culture-specific adaptations included the addition uncomfortable (a novel concept not previously reported), and the potential exclusion of concepts such as intrusiveness, loss of control, loss of peace and loss of sense of self.
CONCLUSIONS: The sociocultural context of patients across China plays an important role in defining the vocabulary used to describe the patient-centred impacts of tinnitus. Possible explanatory factors include cultural differences in the meaning and relevance of certain concepts relating to self and in help-seeking behaviour, low health literacy and a different lexicon in Chinese compared to English to describe tinnitus-related problems.
DESIGN AND STUDY SAMPLE: Study 1 compared the FS measure obtained with MOL and 2IFC procedure at two centre frequencies (CFs) (1 and 4 kHz) in 21 normal-hearing listeners. Study 2 determined the FS measure using MOL at five CFs (0.5-8 kHz) in 32 normal-hearing and nine sensorineural hearing loss listeners and compared them with their thresholds in quiet.
RESULTS: FS measurements with MOL and 2IFC methods were highly correlated and had statistically comparable intra-subject test-retest reliability. FS measures determined with MOL were reduced in the hearing-impaired compared to normal-hearing listeners at the CF corresponding to their hearing loss. Linear regression analysis showed significant relationship between FS deterioration and quiet threshold loss (p
DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study that used a convenient sampling technique.
STUDY SAMPLE: One hundred and fifty-seven parents of typically developing children aged between 4 months and 7 years participated in the study. Forty-nine completed the Malay PEACH + in a pen-to-paper format (Aim 1). One hundred and eight parents completed PEACH + online (69 completed the Malay version and 39 the English version), and 20 of them completed the questionnaire twice (Aim 2).
RESULTS: The PEACH + in Malay showed high internal consistency and item-total correlation. The normative data revealed that scores for frequency of auditory behaviour increased rapidly with age until about 20 months and reached an asymptote of around 90% by about 40 months of age. A similar trend was observed for ease of listening scores, which asymptoted around 85%.
CONCLUSIONS: The validated Malay PEACH + Rating Scale can be used as a guide to monitor auditory functional performance and listening efforts of Malaysian children in real-world environments.
DESIGN AND STUDY SAMPLE: Study 1 (normal hearing, n = 20) examined masker-level effects on TFS using a manual threshold determination method from an earlier study. Study 2 (normal hearing, n = 21; hearing loss, n = 5) evaluated the reliability of a self-administered TFS test using a new automated threshold determination procedure.
RESULTS: Moderate masker levels (30-40 dB SPL) were suitable for the TFS measurements, with 40 dB SPL being optimal. Lower level (20 dB SPL) led to floor effects, while higher level (50 dB SPL) broadened cochlear tuning and reduced TFS values. The self-administered test demonstrated ±9 dB limit of agreement, with intra-subject absolute mean differences of 1.8-2.7 dB across test frequencies, indicating greater variability compared to the manual method.
CONCLUSIONS: The self-administered TFS test is a candidate for hearing screening, particularly for mild sensorineural hearing loss. However, further research is needed to reduce measurement variability and optimise testing for real-world use.
DESIGN: Scoping review.
STUDY SAMPLE: 1261 studies from 4 databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Embase and Scopus) and 7 studies from grey literature were identified. After removing duplicates, 647 studies were screened for title and/or abstract, and five studies met the criteria and were included.
RESULTS: Audiologists reported offering a range of diagnostic assessment and rehabilitation services, including hearing aids, assistive listening devices, auditory training, and counselling. However, the uptake of hearing services was low; rates of hearing aid use among people with at least mild hearing loss were around 2.7%-4.4%; 6.5%-7.3% for those with at least moderate loss. There were no data on the outcomes from hearing services.
CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review highlighted the limited uptake of hearing services among adults in Malaysia, despite the existence of services. Furthermore, it revealed a lack of information about the factors contributing to this limited uptake. To address the burden of hearing loss, there is an urgent need to identify barriers to access, improve access and uptake, and evaluate the benefits of adult hearing services in Malaysia.
DESIGN: An online survey was disseminated through the British Academy of Audiology and ENT UK.
STUDY SAMPLE: A total of 191 hearing healthcare professionals responded to the survey.
RESULTS: Overall, while 63% of the respondents considered themselves to be adequately informed about APD, only 4% viewed themselves as very informed on the topic. Fewer than half of the respondents report screening (31%), diagnosing (14%), or managing (36%) cases of APD. For screening APD, professionals most commonly use auditory processing tests in adults and take case histories in children, whereas routine audiological procedures are the primary method for diagnosing APD in both adults and children. Although modifying the listening environment is a widely recommended management strategy for APD, half of the respondents indicated that a diagnosis of APD has no implications for patient management.
CONCLUSIONS: There is a critical need to promote APD-related training to ensure they can provide appropriate referrals and management.
STUDY SAMPLE: Retrospective data from 23 collaborating centres across 16 LMICs were collected. All participants were adults seeking help for hearing problems. A machine learning approach was utilised to classify the hearing threshold data and identify representative profiles. The study comprised 5773 participants.
RESULTS: The results revealed mildly sloping audiometric patterns with varying severity. The patterns differed from previous studies conducted in high-income regions which included more steeply sloping losses. The findings also indicated a higher proportion of more severe levels of hearing loss.
CONCLUSIONS: These variations could be attributed to population-level differences in the causative mechanisms of hearing loss in LMICs, such as a higher prevalence of infectious disease-related hearing loss. The results may also reflect differences in health seeking behaviours. This study highlights the need for tailored, scalable, hearing interventions for LMICs.