Sensitivity and Specificity of Pure-Tone and Subjective Hearing Screenings Using Spanish-Language Questions.
Alyssa Everett, Aileen Wong, Rosie Piper and 2 others
PMID 32073298WHAT IT FOUND
Pure-tone screening caught more hearing loss than Spanish self-report questions in mostly older Hispanic/Latinx adults.
The single question 'Do you think you have hearing loss?' was the best self-report screen, but it still missed people.
Key findings
01Pure-tone screening Criterion A, >25 dB HL at 1.0, 2.0, or 4.0 kHz in either ear, caught 94% of people with hearing loss and cleared 85% of people without hearing loss.
02The Spanish self-perception question, 'Do you think you have hearing loss?', caught 71% of people with hearing loss and cleared 92% of people without hearing loss.
03The Spanish HHIE-S with a >8 cutoff caught 51% of people with hearing loss and cleared 85% of people without hearing loss.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The participants were recruited for a community hearing-loss program, so many already suspected hearing loss and their communication partners were included; this may make hearing loss prevalence and self-report different from a general clinic population. Only 13 participants had no hearing loss, so the cleared percentages for people without hearing loss rest on a small group. The sample had 40 men and 91 women, and the authors note the gender imbalance could influence self-report of hearing loss. Forty-three participants were not tested at 3000 Hz because that frequency was added later in the trial protocol, and two participants did not have right ear thresholds tested because of earwax blockage. One HHIE-S question was changed for cultural preferences, so the Spanish measure used here is not identical to the original HHIE-S. The paper analyzes a subset of trial participants with available interview and hearing test data, not a random sample of all eligible adults.
Declared interests
The paper reports support from NIH/NIDCD Award R33DC013681. It does not name a commercial sponsor, and the authors state the content is solely their responsibility and not necessarily the official NIH view.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that a Spanish self-report question or the HHIE-S can replace pure-tone screening. The self-perception question caught 71% of people with hearing loss, and the HHIE-S caught 51% with its usual cutoff.