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AbstractObjectiveDesignStudy SampleResultsConclusionThe primary objective of this study was to explore the feasibility of remotely assessing music perception in paediatric cochlear implant (CI) recipients. Pitch direction discrimination (PDD) and timbre recognition (TR) tests were administered remotely. We aimed to provide insights into the potential benefits and challenges of remote assessments.The study was exploratory in nature. All participants underwent remote assessments for the PDD and TR tests. Eight participants completed both online and face-to-face tests. Supervising parents in remote tests completed the System Usability Scale (SUS).A cohort of 27 children with CI, averaging 11.19 years of age, participated in this study.In the online condition, the average PDD score was 3.29 semitones (st), the TR score was 37.86%, and the average duration for PDD and TR testing was 9.98 and 6.18 minutes, respectively. Face-to-face sessions had an average PDD score of 3.00 st, a TR score of 32.81% and durations of 10.20 and 5.42 minutes for PDD and TR tests, respectively. The SUS score averaged 64.04.These findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge supporting the integration of remote assessments in audiological practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjectiveDesignStudy sampleResultsConclusionsTo explore the impact of remote versus in-person ear-nose-and-throat (ENT) specialist screening before hearing treatment on self-reported hearing aid (HA) benefit and satisfaction among adult first-time HA users.Participants were randomised to either remote or in-person ENT assessment before treatment initiation. Hearing ability, hearing quality, and treatment satisfaction were assessed pre- and post-HA treatment using the SSQ12, IOI-HA, and selected items from the 2021 Danish national Patient-Reported Experience Measures. Average daily HA usage was also recorded.751 adult potential first-time HA users with self-reported hearing impairment were included; 501 participants were remotely assessed in private or public audiological clinics, and 250 control group participants were assessed in-person by private ENT specialists. Of the 658 participants who completed the entire trial, 454 received HAs.No significant post-treatment HA benefit differences were found between groups. Remotely assessed HA recipients in private clinics expressed slightly higher staff and waiting time satisfaction. Participants with normal hearing and mild/moderate hearing loss reported higher pre-treatment hearing ability and quality. No significant difference in average daily HA usage was observed between groups.Findings suggest that remote screening does not compromise patient-reported HA benefit and satisfaction when compared to in-person screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote hearing screening and assessment may improve access to, and uptake of, hearing care. This review, the most comprehensive to date, aimed to (i) identify and assess functionality of remote hearing assessment tools on smartphones and online platforms, (ii) determine if assessed tools were also evaluated in peer-reviewed publications and (iii) report accuracy of existing validation data. Protocol was registered in INPLASY and reported according to PRISMA-Extension for Scoping Reviews. In total, 187 remote hearing assessment tools (using tones, speech, self-report or a combination) and 101 validation studies met the inclusion criteria. Quality, functionality, bias and applicability of each app were assessed by at least two authors. Assessed tools showed considerable variability in functionality. Twenty-two (12%) tools were peer-reviewed and 14 had acceptable functionality. The validation results and their quality varied greatly, largely depending on the category of the tool. The accuracy and reliability of most tools are unknown. Tone-producing tools provide approximate hearing thresholds but have calibration and background noise issues. Speech and self-report tools are less affected by these issues but mostly do not provide an estimated pure tone audiogram. Predicting audiograms using filtered language-independent materials could be a universal solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: COVID-19 social isolation restrictions have accelerated the need to adapt clinical assessment tools to telemedicine. Remote adaptations are of special importance for populations at risk, e.g. older adults and individuals with chronic medical comorbidities. In response to this urgent clinical and scientific need, we describe a remote adaptation of the T-RES (Oron et al. 2020; IJA), designed to assess the complex processing of spoken emotions, based on identification and integration of the semantics and prosody of spoken sentences. Design: We present iT-RES, an online version of the speech-perception assessment tool, detailing the challenges considered and solution chosen when designing the telehealth tool. We show a preliminary validation of performance against the original lab-based T-RES. Study sample: A between-participants design, within two groups of 78 young adults (T-RES, n=39; iTRES, n=39). Results: i-TRES performance closely followed that of T-RES, with no group differences found in the main trends, identification of emotions, selective attention, and integration. Conclusions: The design of iT-RES mapped the main challenges for remote auditory assessments, and solutions taken to address them. We hope that this will encourage further efforts for telehealth adaptations of clinical services, to meet the needs of special populations and avoid halting scientific research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]