Validation of the whisper test modified by distance as a screening test of hearing impairment for young adults

Pure-tone audiometry as a gold standard is difficult to perform in several places in Indonesia due to problems related to access, referral systems, and costs. Therefore, the examiner relies on the whisper test as a screening test. In this study, we evaluated the newly proposed method of whisper test by modifying the distance so that this method quite practical, simple and can be performed in a smaller room and for the large groups. The test was conducted to 618 randomly selected students (young adults). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the screening test were compared with pure tone audiometry. Based on diagnostic and screening test evaluation, the results showed that the PPV and NPV values are 13.43% and 99.27% respectively. The whisper test modified by distance yielded high sensitivity (69.23%) and high specificity (90.41%) for the screening test. This hearing screening method will be useful in identifying more hearing impairment for a huge population which helps in referral planning.