Acurácia do teste de dígitos no ruído, baseado em software, em português brasileiro

Abstract

Introduction: Smartphone hearing screening is an attractive strategy because it is selfmanaged, inexpensive and accessible. The use of speech materials, such as digits, in the presence of background noise, makes hearing screening more relevant to identify hearing loss, since it simulates everyday situations. Objectives: To identify the accuracy of smartphone hearing screening tests to detect hearing impairment through a systematic review and to verify the accuracy of the Digits-in-Noise Test (DIN Test) in Brazilian Portuguese. Method: The research presents two studies: a systematic review and an accuracy study. In the systematic review, the sample consisted of 12 diagnostic articles that used smartphone applications for hearing screening; In the accuracy study, 186 individuals were assessed by audiological exams considered the gold standard in the diagnosis of hearing loss and the software-based noise digit test in the Portuguese version. Results: In the systematic review it was observed that all 11 applications studied showed sensitivity and specificity values favorable to diagnostic tests (AUC> 60%). In the accuracy study, the noise digit test showed a cut-off point of the final average of -6.9dB for the pass / fail criterion, 92.7% sensitivity and 67.1% specificity. Conclusion: The systematic review provided significant information to highlight which applications can be considered the most effective in identifying hearing loss and the accuracy study inserts the DIN Test as a new effective method of hearing screening in Portuguese.