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Hearing screening with the digits-in-noise test : evaluating a national test and new stimulus approach

Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2018.

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Other Authors: Swanepoel, De Wet
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: University of Pretoria 2019
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Swanepoel, De Wet
author_browse Swanepoel, De Wet
author_facet Swanepoel, De Wet
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2018.
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institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:40:45.814Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2019
publishDateRange 2019
publishDateSort 2019
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
record_format dspace
source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/70505 Hearing screening with the digits-in-noise test : evaluating a national test and new stimulus approach Swanepoel, De Wet u12006280@tuks.co.za Smits, Cas Swanepoel, Karina Cecilia UCTD Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2018. The prevalence of hearing loss is high, affecting 1.3 billion people globally. Most persons with disabling hearing loss reside in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) where current hearing healthcare systems are insufficient to meet the need for services. To decentralise hearing loss detection the digits-in-noise (DIN) test was released in South Africa as a smartphone application, called hearZA. The test corresponds well with pure tone audiometric thresholds with high sensitivity and specificity. However, in a binaural test setup designed to make the test more efficient, the DIN is not sensitive to detect unilateral or severely asymmetric hearing loss. Sequential testing of each ear would double test time and possibly reduce test uptake by consumers. The study retrospectively analysed 24072 DIN tests, completed between March 2016 and August 2017, to determine characteristics of hearZA App users and predictors of test performance. Furthermore, in a comparative within-subjects research design, the study determined if dichotic speech could improve the sensitivity of the DIN test compared to conventional diotic speech. Adults with normal hearing (n=51; pure tone average thresholds (PTA) ≤ 25 dB HL in both ears), symmetric sensorineural hearing loss (n=47; PTA ≥ 26 dB HL) and asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss (n=24; PTA ≥ 26 dB HL in the poorer ear) were recruited. Overall referral rate of the hearZA DIN test was 22.4%, and 37% of these reported a known hearing difficulty. Age distributions showed that 33.2% of listeners were 30 years and younger, 40.5% were between 31 and 50 years, and 26.4% were older than 50 years. Age, self-reported English-speaking competence and self-reported hearing difficulty were significant predictors of the SRT. Furthermore, dichotic digit presentation markedly improved sensitivity of the DIN test to unilateral, asymmetric and symmetric sensorineural hearing loss. Dichotic testing Receiver Operating Characteristic area under the curve (0.94), and linear regression slope (0.18) and correlation (0.84) with SRT were higher than diotic (0.84, 0.08 and 0.79 respectively). High test uptake, particularly among younger users and high overall referral rate indicates that the hearZA App addresses a public health need. Furthermore, accurate detection of hearing loss is possible using a dichotic test paradigm. Population-wide access to the dichotic DIN test provides a promising prospect to address undetected hearing loss by making detection accessible and affordable. Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology MA Unrestricted 2019-07-08T09:46:39Z 2019-07-08T09:46:39Z 2019/04/10 2018 Dissertation Swanepoel, KC 2018, Hearing screening with the digits-in-noise test : evaluating a national test and new stimulus approach, MA Dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd <http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70505> A2019 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70505 en © 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle UCTD
Hearing screening with the digits-in-noise test : evaluating a national test and new stimulus approach
title Hearing screening with the digits-in-noise test : evaluating a national test and new stimulus approach
title_full Hearing screening with the digits-in-noise test : evaluating a national test and new stimulus approach
title_fullStr Hearing screening with the digits-in-noise test : evaluating a national test and new stimulus approach
title_full_unstemmed Hearing screening with the digits-in-noise test : evaluating a national test and new stimulus approach
title_short Hearing screening with the digits-in-noise test : evaluating a national test and new stimulus approach
title_sort hearing screening with the digits in noise test evaluating a national test and new stimulus approach
topic UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70505