Effectiveness of Smartphone-based Application with Wireless Earbuds as Result Indication of Audiometric Testing: Case Study Among Workers in a Hospital, Chonburi Province
Keywords:
Application, Smartphone, Wireless earbuds, AudiometerAbstract
The purposes of this quasi-experimental research were to compare the hearing threshold of participants using a smartphone-based hearing test application with wireless earbuds with conventional audiogram and to determine the accuracy of a smartphone-based hearing test application with wireless earbuds with conventional audiometer. A total of 41 subjects were recruited and completed a questionnaire which had passed verify checked. Pure tone audiogram thresholds were measured from 500 Hz to 8000 Hz, while smartphone measurement was obtained with “Hearing Test” application. All data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The statistical significance is determined at p < .01.
The result showed that there was significant difference between the average hearing threshold obtained on smartphone-based application and conventional audiometer for all frequencies. The results from smartphone-based application were significantly lower than the one determined by conventional audiometer for all frequencies. The results also revealed high positive correlation for the frequencies 500-2,000 Hz (ICC 0.61-0.87) and very high positive correlation for the frequencies 3,000-8,000 Hz (ICC 0.90-0.95).
In conclusion, the method of hearing test carried out on smartphone-based application with wireless earbuds demonstrates high compatibility with conventional audiometer, which may serve as an accurate and accessible approach to hearing evaluations, especially in settings where conventional audiometer is unavailable.
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