A smartphone-based assessment of hearing impairment among students of a medical college, Delhi, India- A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: The burden of hearing impairment in India is substantially high, largely preventable, and avoidable. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of hearing impairment using a smartphone-based tool among medical students and to study the factors associated, including personal audio device usage in a medical college hospital in Delhi, India. Material and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among undergraduate medical students. The study participants were enrolled via. Stratified random sampling. We assessed hearing impairment via - HearWHO application with scores ranging from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 100 with categorization into i) above 75 ii) 50-75 iii) below 50. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 96 study participants were included, with the mean age of study participants as 20.3±1.4 years. On assessment with HearWHO, 36 (37.5%) were in the category of score above 75, 51 (53.1%) in score category 50-75, and 9 (9.4%) in score below 50. The overall mean score of the hearing assessment was 68.9±13.4 (Range: 12 to 94). Among the earphone device users, 27.1% do not comply with volume alerts on user devices. Conclusion: Among the study population, 9.4% of the study participants were likely to be having hearing loss and 53.1% should be screened regularly for hearing impairment. Addressing hearing loss remains crucial among the young population, especially the medical professionals, which is feasible and imperative in the current scenario.