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The accuracy of a mobile phone application (Wulira app) compared to standard audiometry in assessing hearing loss among patients on treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Uganda

Batte, Charles, Olayanju, Tunde, Mukisa, John, Namusobya, Martha Sarah, Alenoghena, Innocent, Sulaiman, Lakoh, Tazifua, Ebenezer Abinkeng, Oladele, Damilola M. and Morton, Ben ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6164-2854 (2020) 'The accuracy of a mobile phone application (Wulira app) compared to standard audiometry in assessing hearing loss among patients on treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Uganda'. Journal of the Pan African Thoracic Society, Vol 1, pp. 20-25.

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Abstract

OBJECTIVES:
Our aim was to validate the “Wulira App” a mHealth application against gold standard audiometry as a pragmatic audiometry solution for under-served and vulnerable groups of patients at risk of hearing loss. The specific objectives were as follows:
To compare hearing thresholds determined using the Wulira app to standard pure tone audiometry among patients on MDR-TB treatment.
To determine the correlation between the measured hearing loss with the Wulira app and standard audiometry with patient reported hearing loss.
To determine the proportion of patients on MDR-TB treatment that experience hearing loss?
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
We consecutively recruited patients ≥18 years old and receiving kanamycin in their treatment regimen between February and June 2019 for this study. Clinical and demographic data were obtained from each participant and documented in a secure database. Participants had hearing assessment performed once at enrolment with paired standard audiometry and the Wulira mobile phone app in a soundproof room.
RESULTS:
A total of 120 MDR-TB patients with a mean age of 34.0 (±9.6) years were recruited for this study and 69 (57.5%) were male. When compared to pure tone audiometry, the Wulira app was able to correctly detect 91.4% hearing loss in right ear and 88.4% in the left ear. The specificity of the Wulira app was equally high, reaching 93.2% in the right ear and 91.5% in the left ear.
CONCLUSION:
The Wulira app may be a useful alternative home-based tool for hearing assessment in MDR-TB patients, essentially for early detection of hearing loss following commencement of second-line injectable drugs.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: W General Medicine. Health Professions > W 83 Telemedicine (General)
WA Public Health > Health Problems of Special Population Groups > WA 395 Health in developing countries
WF Respiratory System > Tuberculosis > WF 200 Tuberculosis (General)
Faculty: Department: Clinical Sciences & International Health > Clinical Sciences Department
Digital Object Identifer (DOI): https://doi.org/10.25259/JPATS_3_2020
Depositing User: Stacy Murtagh
Date Deposited: 22 Oct 2020 12:07
Last Modified: 22 Oct 2020 12:07
URI: https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/15904

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