%0 Journal Article
%@ 2291-5222
%I JMIR Publications
%V 8
%N 11
%P e23047
%T A Smartphone-Based Approach to Screening for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Cross-Sectional Validity Study
%A Lin,Heng-Yu Haley
%A Chu,Yuan-Chia
%A Lai,Ying-Hui
%A Cheng,Hsiu-Lien
%A Lai,Feipei
%A Cheng,Yen-Fu
%A Liao,Wen-Huei
%+ Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Section 2, Shipai Road, Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan, 886 2 2875 7808 ext 7264, whliaovictor@gmail.com
%K sudden sensorineural hearing loss
%K hearing test
%K telemedicine
%K mobile apps
%K pure tone
%K audiometry
%D 2020
%7 11.11.2020
%9 Original Paper
%J JMIR Mhealth Uhealth
%G English
%X Background: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is an otologic emergency that warrants urgent management. Pure-tone audiometry remains the gold standard for definitively diagnosing SSNHL. However, in clinical settings such as primary care practices and urgent care facilities, conventional pure-tone audiometry is often unavailable. Objective: This study aimed to determine the correlation between hearing outcomes measured by conventional pure-tone audiometry and those measured by the proposed smartphone-based Ear Scale app and determine the diagnostic validity of the hearing scale differences between the two ears as obtained by the Ear Scale app for SSNHL. Methods: This cross-sectional study included a cohort of 88 participants with possible SSNHL who were referred to an otolaryngology clinic or emergency department at a tertiary medical center in Taipei, Taiwan, between January 2018 and June 2019. All participants underwent hearing assessments with conventional pure-tone audiometry and the proposed smartphone-based Ear Scale app consecutively. The gold standard for diagnosing SSNHL was defined as the pure-tone average (PTA) difference between the two ears being ≥30 dB HL. The hearing results measured by the Ear Scale app were presented as 20 stratified hearing scales. The hearing scale difference between the two ears was estimated to detect SSNHL. Results: The study sample comprised 88 adults with a mean age of 46 years, and 50% (44/88) were females. PTA measured by conventional pure-tone audiometry was strongly correlated with the hearing scale assessed by the Ear Scale app, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of .88 (95% CI .82-.92). The sensitivity of the 5–hearing scale difference (25 dB HL difference) between the impaired ear and the contralateral ear in diagnosing SSNHL was 95.5% (95% CI 87.5%-99.1%), with a specificity of 66.7% (95% CI 43.0%-85.4%). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the proposed smartphone-based Ear Scale app can be useful in the evaluation of SSNHL in clinical settings where conventional pure-tone audiometry is not available. 
%M 33174845
%R 10.2196/23047
%U http://mhealth.jmir.org/2020/11/e23047/
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/23047
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33174845