ReviewJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2021
Smartphone-Based Applications to Detect Hearing Loss: A Review of Current Technology.
Review in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 66 citations in OpenAlex.
- Self-Fitting Versus Professional-Fitting Hearing Aids: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Audiology research · 2026Review
- Evaluating the Accuracy and User Satisfaction of Culturally-Relevant Kannada-Based Hearing Screening App Compared to Technical Screening Method.International archives of otorhinolaryngology · 2026Article
- Article
- Understanding Primary Care Providers' Attitudes and Practices for Hearing Loss Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment.Journal of the American Academy of Audiology · 2025Article
- Development and testing of an open source mobile application for audiometry test result analysis and diagnosis support.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Performance of Hearing Test Software Applications to Detect Hearing Loss.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Validating Smartphone-Based and Web-Based Applications for Remote Hearing Assessment.Journal of the American Academy of Audiology · 2025Article
- Evaluating the accuracy of a self-administered smartphone hearing test application in a geriatric population.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2025Article
- Age-Related Hearing Loss: Evidence-Based Strategies for Early Detection and Management.ORL-head and neck nursing : official journal of the Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Head-Neck Nurses · 2025Article
- Optimized Active Noise Cancellation for Hearing Tests Using Auditory Masking Characteristics.IEEE journal of translational engineering in health and medicine · 2025Article
- Evaluating the Reliability of 'AudiClick': A Click-Based Mobile App for Hearing Loss.Iranian journal of otorhinolaryngology · 2024Article
- Tools for telehealth: A correlational analysis of app-based hearing testing.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2024Article
- Early Detection of Hearing Loss among the Elderly.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Usability of simplified audiometry and electrocardiogram during treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis in Mozambique: a qualitative study.BMC global and public health · 2024Article
- The Hearing Test App for Android Devices: Distinctive Features of Pure-Tone Audiometry Performed on Mobile Devices.Medical devices (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2024Review
- Article
- Validation of a tablet-based assessment of auditory sensitivity for researchers.Behavior research methods · 2023Article
- Hearing Screening Alternative Using a Website-Based Application.Journal of audiology & otology · 2023Article
- Evaluating the hearing screening effectiveness of active noise cancellation technology among young adults: A pilot study.Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA · 2023Article
- Virtual audiometric testing using smartphone mobile applications to detect hearing loss.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND/
objectivesAge-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a widely prevalent yet manageable condition that has been linked to neurocognitive and psychiatric comorbidities. Multiple barriers hinder older individuals from being diagnosed with ARHL through pure-tone audiometry. This is especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in the closure of many outpatient audiology and otolaryngology offices. Smartphone-based hearing assessment apps may overcome these challenges by enabling patients to remotely self-administer their own hearing examination. The objective of this review is to provide an up-to-date overview of current mobile health applications (apps) that claim to assess hearing.
designNarrative review. MEASUREMENTS: The Apple App Store and Google Play Store were queried for apps that claim to assess hearing. Relevant apps were downloaded and used to conduct a mock hearing assessment. Names of included apps were searched on four literature databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL) to determine which apps had been validated against gold standard methods.
resultsApp store searches identified 44 unique apps. Apps differed with respect to the type of test offered (e.g., hearing threshold test), cost, strategies to reduce ambient noise, test output (quantitative vs qualitative results), and options to export results. Validation studies were identified for seven apps.
conclusionGiven their low cost and relative accessibility, smartphone-based hearing apps may facilitate screening for ARHL, particularly in the setting of limitations on in-person medical care due to COVID-19. However, app features vary widely, few apps have been validated, and user-centered designs for older adults are largely lacking. Further research and validation efforts are necessary to determine whether smartphone-based hearing assessments are a feasible and accurate screening tool for ARHL. Key Points Age-related hearing loss is a prevalent yet undertreated condition among older adults. Why Does this Paper Matter? Smartphone-based hearing test apps may facilitate remote screening for hearing loss, but limitations surrounding app validation, usability, equipment calibration, and data security should be addressed.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.