System and method for determining WHO grading of hearing impairment

• US 10,085,678 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2015
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: K/S HIMPP
• Original Assignee: iHEAR Medical, Inc. (Innerscope Hearing Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shennib, Adnan
• Primary Examiner(s): McCrosky, David J
• Application Number:
  US14/971,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20160166181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 600559, 381 58- 60
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0223 of calibration, e.g. protocols for calibrating sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/123 subjective methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/305 Self-monitoring or self-testing

Abstract

Examples of systems and methods for rapidly grading the hearing of a user in accordance with WHO guidelines are disclosed. One example includes a personal computer and a test device configured to produce calibrated acoustic output at suprathreshold levels presented at an audiometric frequency range from 500 to 4000 Hz. The consumer'"'"'s minimal response levels are registered, and a hearing ability score is presented to indicate a hearing grade and hearing aid candidacy. The hearing ability score may be representative of a classification of the WHO grading of hearing impairment. Systems and methods disclosed herein, with considerations for room noise present in the consumer'"'"'s environment, allow for rapid hearing profiling, using a standard personal computer and minimal low-cost hardware, thus particularly suited for self-testing outside clinical environments such as at home, office, or retail store settings.

Claims

1. A method of administering a hearing grading for a user, the method comprising:

providing sequences of test stimuli to an ear of the user, the test stimuli comprising test stimuli levels within a suprathreshold range of 15 dB to 95 dB HL, each of the sequences comprising test stimuli at test frequencies comprising 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz, wherein the test stimuli levels comprise;

a first test level in the range of 15-25 dB HL;

a second test level in the range of 30-40 dB HL;

a third test level in the range of 45-55 dB HL; and

a fourth test level in the range of 65-75 dB HL;

registering, using a computerized hearing grading system, a minimal response level for the test stimuli presented at each of the test frequencies;

computing a hearing ability score based on an average of the minimal response levels for the test frequencies tested only within the suprathreshold range, wherein the hearing ability score is representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) grading of hearing impairment; and

presenting the hearing ability score to the user by the computerized hearing grading system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the test stimuli levels further comprise a fifth test level in the range of 81-95 dB.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step levels of test stimuli within a sequence presented by the computerized hearing grading system are nonuniform.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising sensing ambient background noise by a microphone associated with the computerized hearing grading system.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising presenting an alert to the user when the ambient noise sensed by the microphone is above a predefined threshold noise level.

6. A method of grading hearing according to the WHO grading of hearing impairment, the method comprising:

providing test stimuli to an ear of a non-expert user, wherein the test stimuli are provided at test stimuli levels of at least 15 dB HL at test frequencies comprising 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz, and wherein the test stimuli levels are incremented at step levels of 10 dB or greater;

registering, using a computerized hearing grading system, a minimal response level for the test stimuli presented at each of the test frequencies;

computing a hearing ability score based on an average of the minimal response levels for the test frequencies tested only within a suprathreshold range above 15 dB HL, wherein the hearing ability score is representative of the WHO grading of hearing impairment; and

presenting the hearing ability score to the consumer by the computerized hearing grading system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the test stimuli levels comprise:

a first test level in the range of 15-25 dB HL;

a second test level in the range of 30-40 dB HL;

a third test level in the range of 45-55 dB HL; and

a fourth test level in the range of 65-75 dB HL.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the test stimuli levels further comprises a fifth level in the range of 81-95 dB.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the computerized hearing grading system comprises any of a personal computer, a smart phone and a tablet.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the hearing grading system comprises any of an earphone and a hearing device configured to deliver the test stimuli to an ear of the user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the earphone, the hearing device, or both are configured to attenuate ambient background noise by at least 10 dB across the audiometric frequency range of 500 to 4,000 Hz.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the earphone comprises an insert configured to occlude the ear canal and attenuate ambient background noise.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the hearing ability score is selected from a plurality of discrete levels, the plurality of discrete levels comprising a range of four to six discrete levels.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the computerized hearing grading system is communicatively coupled to a remote database hosting hearing test data.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a hearing test software application executed by the computerized hearing grading system is configured to administer the hearing grading for the user using the hearing test data.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising executing the hearing test software application from any of a stand-alone application, a web application, or an Internet browser.

17. The method of claim 6, further comprising sensing ambient background noise by a microphone associated with the computerized hearing grading system.

18. The method of claim 6, wherein the test stimuli include at least one natural sound.

19. The method of claim 6, wherein the average is computed using equal weighted averaging.

20. The method of claim 6, wherein the average is computed using a speech articulation index weighting.

21. The method of claim 6, further comprising presenting a hearing aid candidacy to the user at least partially based on the WHO grading of hearing impairment.

22. The method of claim 6, further comprising producing masking sound to a non-test ear.

23. A method of automatically grading a hearing ability, the method comprising:

presenting a sequence of acoustic test stimuli at suprathreshold sound levels of at least 15 dB HL by a computerized hearing grading system at a plurality of test frequencies within an audiometric frequency range between 500 and 4,000 Hz;

presenting the sequence of acoustic test stimuli at nonuniform step levels, wherein each step level for acoustic test stimuli is within the range of 10-25 d13;

registering a minimal response level of a consumer at each test frequency; and

computing a hearing ability score based on the consumer'"'"'s minimal response level at each test frequency, wherein the hearing ability score is representative of the WHO grading of hearing impairment.

24. A method of determining a hearing aid candidacy of a consumer by a hearing grading system, the method comprising:

presenting test stimuli at test levels of at least 15 dB HL at multiple test frequency bands to an ear of the consumer using an earphone, wherein the earphone is configured to attenuate ambient background noise, wherein the test levels comprise;

a first test level in the range of 15-25 dB HL;

a second test level in the range of 30-40 dB HL;

a third test level in the range of 45-55 dB HL; and

a fourth test level in the range of 65-75 dB HL;

registering a minimum response level of the consumer at each of a plurality of test frequencies selected from the multiple test frequency bands;

computing a hearing ability score based on the minimum response levels at the plurality of test frequencies; and

indicating hearing aid candidacy to the consumer, based at least in part on the WHO grading of hearing impairment.

25. A method of online hearing assessment of a consumer, the method comprising:

executing a hearing assessment application by a personal computer, wherein the hearing assessment application is at least partially hosted by a remote server;

delivering a test audio signal to an earphone from an audio generator communicatively coupled to the personal computer;

delivering a calibrated acoustic output signal from the earphone at multiple suprathreshold test levels, wherein the test levels comprise;

a first test level in the range of 15-25 dB HL;

a second test level in the range of 30-40 dB HL;

a third test level in the range of 45-55 dB HL; and

a fourth test level in the range of 65-75 dB HL;

registering a minimal response of the consumer at multiple frequency bands by the personal computer; and

presenting to the consumer a computed hearing ability score based on the minimal response level of the consumer at each test frequency band from the multiple frequency bands, wherein the hearing ability score is representative of the WHO grading of hearing impairment.

26. A hearing profile test system, comprising;

an earphone configured to receive test audio signals to produce calibrated test stimuli for delivery to an ear canal at suprathreshold sound levels, wherein the earphone is configured to occlude the ear canal and attenuate ambient background sound, wherein the suprathreshold test levels comprise;

a first test level in the range of 15-25 dB HL;

a second test level in the range of 30-40 dB HL;

a third test level in the range of 45-55 dB HL; and

a fourth test level in the range of 65-75 dB HL;

a test device incorporating an audio signal generator configured to produce the test audio signals; and

a computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions, which when executed by a computer communicatively coupled to the test device cause the computer to compute a hearing ability score which is representative of the WHO grading of hearing impairment.

27. The hearing profile test system of claim 26, further comprising a microphone configured to sense ambient noise.

28. The hearing profile test system of claim 26, wherein the test device comprises a USB interface.

29. The hearing profile test system of claim 26, wherein the computer-readable medium is configured for execution on any of a personal computer, a smart phone, and a tablet.

30. A system for online hearing evaluation, the system comprising;

a test device including an audio signal generator configured to produce an audio signal output;

an earphone configured to receive the audio signal output from the test device and to deliver suprathreshold test stimuli exceeding 15 dB HL to a user'"'"'s ear at multiple test levels, wherein the test levels comprise;

a first test level in the range of 15-25 dB HL;

a second test level in the range of 30-40 dB HL;

a third test level in the range of 45-55 dB HL; and

a fourth test level in the range of 65-75 dB; and

computer-readable medium comprising instructions for a hearing test application, wherein the instructions for the hearing test application include instruction which when executed by one or more processor cause the one or more processors to receive an indication of a minimum response levels of the user to the test stimuli and compute a hearing ability score based on the minimum response level, the instructions for the hearing test application further comprising instructions for displaying a computed hearing ability score which is representative of the WHO grading of hearing impairment.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the instructions for the hearing test application include instructions configured to be executed by one or more processors of a personal computer, a smart phone, or a tablet, and configured to cause the computer, smart phone, or tablet, to transmit the indication of a minimum response level to a remote server and receive the computed hearing ability score from the server, wherein the hearing ability score computed based on the minimum response level of the user.

32. The system of claim 30, further comprising a microphone configured to sense ambient noise.