Fatores relacionados à acurácia da avaliação auditiva com o dispositivo baseado em smartphone hearTest em trabalhadores expostos à ruído

Abstract

Objective: To identify sociodemographic and occupational factors and pre-assessment conditions related to the accuracy of hearing assessment with the hearTest smartphone-based device compared to conventional audiometry in noise-exposed workers. Methods: This is an exploratory accuracy study conducted with noise-exposed workers. All participants answered the questionnaire investigating sociodemographic and occupational factors and pre-assessment conditions data and underwent meatoscopy, hearing evaluation with the hearTest, and conventional audiometry. Descriptive statistical analysis of sociodemographic and occupational factors and pre-assessment conditions data was performed, and measures of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and Youden's index (J) were estimated. Results: The hearTest demonstrated good accuracy for the identification of "any hearing loss" for all factors evaluated, except in workers aged 40-49 years, white, with low education, and with income over five minimum wages. For the identification of noise-induced hearing loss, the hearTest did not show good accuracy only for workers aged between 40 and 49 years, with low education, income below two minimum wages, and who reported irregular sleep the night before the hearing evaluation. For both HL criteria, it was found that the hearTest presented worse accuracy according to the increase in age group. The strata with higher educational levels reached higher percentages of accuracy and J was higher among women, workers aged between 18 and 29 years, non-white, with higher education, an income of two to five minimum wages, who had a technical function and who denied fasting, for both HL classifications. Conclusion: The results obtained from the present study suggest that sociodemographic factors and pre-assessment conditions may influence the accuracy of hearing assessment with the hearTest smartphone-based device in the population of workers. The hearTest accuracy was higher among women, workers aged between 18 and 29 years, non-white, with higher education, income from two to five minimum wages, who held a technical function, and who denied fasting, for both HL classifications adopted by this study.