To present the results from the telephone and online versions of the National Hearing Test (NHT), a triple-digit speech-in-noise test available in the U.S., for large convenience samples of adults.
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
The U.S. National Hearing Test demonstrates feasibility as a large-scale remote hearing screener; clinicians may consider directing at-risk patients to this validated tool as a low-barrier first step before formal audiological assessment.
Large-sample real-world validation of a telephone/online hearing screener supports broader public health deployment and could substantially increase the rate of early hearing loss identification in underserved or reluctant populations.
- 01Presents large-sample performance data for the U.S. National Hearing Test (NHT), a remote triple-digit speech-in-noise screener.
- 02Test is accessible by phone or online, removing geographic and cost barriers to initial hearing screening.
- 03Published in the International Journal of Audiology.
- 04Real-world data supports the tool's feasibility for population-level hearing screening.
- 05Results may inform referral pathways and public health hearing campaigns.
The U.S. National Hearing Test can be validly administered by telephone or online to screen for hearing loss in adults.
studysupportedTriple-digit speech-in-noise tests are a reliable method for remote hearing screening.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42967815
- DOI
- 10.1080/14992027.2026.2746948.
- Journal
- International Journal of Audiology
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Adults interested in testing their hearing, self-selected via telephone or online platform
- Intervention
- U.S. National Hearing Test (triple-digit speech-in-noise screening, telephone or online)
Primary outcomes
Screening accuracy (pass/fail rates); Test performance metrics across delivery modes (telephone vs. online); Distribution of results across the adult population sample
