Hearing screening using the uHear™ smartphone-based app: reproducibility of results from two response modes

PURPOSE: Estimate the reproducibility of hearing screening results using the uHear™ smartphone-based app in two response modes: self-test response and test-operator. METHODS: Reliability study conducted with 65 individuals aged ≥18 years assisted at the Speech-language and Hearing Therapy clinic of a public higher-education institution. Hearing screening was conducted by a single researcher using the uHear app and earbud headphones in a soundproof booth. Participants responded to sound stimuli in both self-test response mode and test-operator mode. The order in which these two uHear test modes were applied was altered according to the entrance of each participant in the study. The correspondence between the hearing thresholds obtained from each response mode was analyzed and their Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was estimated. RESULTS: A correspondence of ±5 dBHL >75% was observed between these hearing thresholds. The ICC values showed excellent agreement between the two response modes at all frequencies >40 dBHL tested. CONCLUSION: The two hearing screening response modes using the uHear app presented high reproducibility, suggesting that the test-operator mode is a viable alternative when the self-test response mode is not recommended.