What is it about?
Hearing loss is common in older adults but is often missed during routine health checks. We tested whether a simple smartphone app could screen for hearing loss more accurately than the methods currently used in primary care clinics in Chile, including standard check-ups and asking patients if they have trouble hearing. The smartphone app correctly identified 9 in 10 people with mild hearing loss and almost everyone with moderate hearing loss, outperforming other methods. Patients and health staff also found the app easy and acceptable to use, suggesting it could help detect hearing loss earlier in everyday primary care contexts.
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Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Most hearing screening apps have been validated in hospitals with trained specialists and controlled, quiet environments. We tested one directly in everyday primary care clinics in Chile, administered by regular nursing staff in standard exam rooms, reflecting real-world conditions. This is also one of the first studies to formally measure how acceptable such screening is to both patients and staff. With hearing loss screening recommended by the WHO but rarely implemented in primary care, our findings offer practical evidence for scaling up early detection in under-resourced and constrained health systems.
Perspectives
Writing this article was a great experience, as the co-authors and I have had long-standing collaborations. As a researcher building my career overseas, I find this study holds particular meaning to me as a way of giving back to my home country. Hearing loss is something every older adult lives or will live with, to varying degrees and often quietly, and it carries a weight of stigma that keeps people from seeking help. I hope this work contributes to earlier identification, so people can address their hearing difficulties sooner, worry less about the stigma surrounding it, and continue to enjoy the everyday moments of connection that make life richer. It also reflects a broader thread running through my research: working toward more equitable access to hearing care, which I continue to pursue through other ongoing projects.
Felipe Retamal-Walter
University of Queensland
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Diagnostic Accuracy and Acceptability of a Mobile Health Hearing Screening Program for Older Adults in Primary Care: A Multicenter Study, Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, June 2026, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA),
DOI: 10.1044/2026_jslhr-25-00419.
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