Review: self report of hearing loss and the whispered voice test are useful for screening for hearing impairment
Q Are simple screening tests useful for diagnosing hearing impairment?
METHODS
Data sources:
Medline, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica (1966 to April 2005), bibliographies of relevant articles and a clinical skills textbook, and experts.
Study selection and assessment:
English language studies that evaluated the accuracy or precision of bedside screening questions or physical examination manoeuvres for hearing impairment in symptomatic and asymptomatic people ⩾16 years of age. 24 studies (n = 12 645) met the selection criteria. The tests evaluated included a self reported screening question (eg, “Do you feel you have a hearing loss?”); Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly, screening version (HHIE-S), a 10 item self administered questionnaire measuring the social and emotional effects of hearing problems (range of scores 0–40); Weber and Rinne tuning fork tests; whispered voice …
