Evaluation of Digits-in-Noise Test and Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults Screening in Patients with Occupational Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

Abstract

Objective: To explore the clinical evaluation role of the Digits-in-Noise (DIN) test and Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults Screening (HHIA-S) for patients with occupational noise-induced hearing loss and to observe and analyze their application values. Methods: Fifty patients with suspected occupational noise-induced hearing loss were randomly selected from the Department of Otolaryngology at the hospital as the research target. The collection period for the research cases spanned from January 2022 to November 2023, and all patients had a history of noise exposure. The DIN test and HHIA-S were used for hearing examinations, with clinical, comprehensive diagnosis serving as the gold standard to study their diagnostic performance. Results: The compliance rate of the DIN test was 88.00%, the HHIA-S’s compliance rate was 80.00%, and the combined compliance rate was 94.00%. The compliance rate of the DIN test and the combined compliance rates of the patients were statistically significant compared to the clinical gold standard data (P < 0.05), while there was no difference between the compliance rate of the HHIA-S and the gold standard (P > 0.05). The data shows that the sensitivity of the combined diagnosis is significantly higher than the sensitivity data of the DIN test and HHIA-S examination alone (P < 0.05). Its specificity is 100.00%, and the accuracy data of the joint diagnosis in the degree were higher than those of the DIN test alone (P > 0.05) and the HHIA-S alone (P < 0.05). Conclusion: For patients with occupational noise-induced hearing loss, the joint evaluation of the DIN test and HHIA-S can significantly improve their diagnostic value with high sensitivity and accuracy.