Validated Smartphone-Based Apps for Ear and Hearing Assessments: A Review
JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies
Bright, T., & Pallawela, D. (2016).
JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies, 3(2), e13.
This systematic review investigates the accuracy of smartphone-based applications for the screening or assessment of hearing and ear health.
Not stated
Between June 2007 and July 2015
Primary studies
11
In reviewing smart-phone based applications (apps) for ear assessment, one study investigating the validity of the video otoscopic app CellScope reported high levels of agreement between using the app and traditional otoscopy methods. "Although the results ... appear to be promising, there is limited evidence to allow robust conclusions to be drawn" (p. 8).
Very few smartphone-based applications (apps) for hearing assessment have been validated for sensitivity and specificity by peer-reviewed literature. Of the apps that have been studied, "further independent research is required to fully understand their accuracy for detecting ear and hearing conditions" (p. 9). Two studies indicated that the audiometry app, uHear, demonstrated promise as a screening method. Studies investigating the diagnostic accuracy of other audiometry apps (i.e., shoeBOX, EarTrumpet, AudCal, and hearScreen) reported conflicts of interest.
