Audimetroid, a new hearing screening technology

Hearing loss affects 360 million people worldwide and 11 million people within the UK, with most of those affected being 65 years of age, or older. Un-managed hearing loss in the elderly commonly leads to social isolation and depression, and may cause or accelerate the progression of cognitive decline and dementia. Management is thus crucial, and is most effective if started early after the initial progression of the hearing loss. Routine screening is necessary in order to ensure early management, as without screening, patients often go un-diagnosed for a prolonged period of time after first experiencing the symptoms of hearing loss. However, current technology is inappropriate for widespread screening due to poor accuracy and high sensitivity to background noise. To address this, we are developing a new hearing screening product, Audimetroid, that will make innovative use of advanced algorithms in order to make screening for hearing loss more accurate and less sensitive to background noise. This will make widespread hearing screening programmes more cost efficient by reducing the number of normal-hearing patients who are erroneously referred to audiology services, and will allow hearing assessments to take place at primary care providers, including GP surgeries and pharmacies, where existing technology would be unreliable due to the presence of background noise. During the proposed feasibility study, we will validate the technological and scientific approaches underpinning the concept, and ensure Audimetroid's applicability as a tool for use in widespread hearing screening programmes.