Review: self report of hearing loss and the whispered voice test
are useful for screening for hearing impairment Q Are simple
screening tests useful for diagnosing hearing impairment?
Medline, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica (1966 to April 2005),
bibliographies of relevant articles and a clinical skills
textbook, and experts. Study selection and assessment: English
language studies that evaluated the accuracy or precision of
bedside screening questions or physical examination manoeuvres
for hearing impairment in symptomatic and asymptomatic people
⩾16 years of age. 24 studies (n = 12 645) met the selection
criteria. The tests evaluated included a self reported screening
question (eg, “Do you feel you have a hearing loss?”); Hearing
Handicap Inventory for the Elderly, screening version (HHIE-S),
a 10 item self administered questionnaire measuring the social
and emotional effects of hearing problems (range of scores
0–40); Weber and Rinne tuning fork tests; whispered voice …