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Hearing screening now child's play, thanks to Tukkies app
Yes, it is, thanks to the hearScreen cell phone app that has been developed by audiologist Prof. De Wet Swanepoel and his team from the University of Pretoria (UP). The app is set to be part of a major pilot study in which mHealth (mobile health) technology will be used to do school and community-based screening in Mamelodi. Prof. Swanepoel's team is a finalist in the innovative research category of the 2014 National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) Awards. The innovation was also shortlisted for the recent African Innovation Prize Award. Difficulties performing hearing screening in schools "Hearing is the cornerstone for developing language, for learning to speak and to communicate," says this expert in the early detection of hearing problems in babies and children. "Even minor hearing defects can have a major impact on language development and the academic performance of children, because they simply get lost within the noisy environs of a classroom." Since 2012, the hearing of all South African Grade 1 learners must be screened. This is thanks to the introduction of the Integrated School Health Policy drafted by the National Departments of Health, Basic Education and Social Development. However, it is a requirement that is logistically easier said than done, as 1.1 million new learners enter the school system every year. Prof. Swanepoel served as advisor to the Department of Basic Education in drafting the policy. Also, along with his students, he trains school nurses who have to perform these screening tests. These experiences gave him a good idea of just how difficult a requirement it is to fulfil. Current screening devices can cost up to R25 000 a unit. They are quite cumbersome, heavy to handle, need electricity and also a certain level of expertise and training. Environmental noise cannot be blocked out or controlled, and these devices also do not offer the data capturing and management possibilities that are possible thanks to mobile connectivity. Quick and easy test Prof. Swanepoel realised what was needed is an app that can be calibrated on a low-cost cell phone. He took the idea to fellow UP researcher, Dr Herman Myburgh of the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering. With the help of students they set about to develop, test and validate a software solution. The app adheres to international calibration standards, can be loaded onto a R800 Samsung smartphone, and is automated. The cell phone is lightweight and battery operated. A screening test can be completed within a minute - and all with the press of a few buttons. Background noise is continually measured with the built-in microphone, to ensure environmental quality control. The data is captured on-site and can be uploaded through the cellphone network to a centralised management site, where it can be evaluated for necessary recommendations. "To set up hearScreen with the cell phone and headphone is four times cheaper than other screening devices, and can be used by anyone that knows how to work a cell phone," explains Prof. Swanepoel. "It significantly improves and alters current models of school and community-based identification of hearing loss." "In South Africa, and Africa for that matter, we need cost-effective and sustainable methods with which to identify hearing loss early in life," he adds. "This is where mHealth or mobile health technologies such as this app are becoming more and more important in taking healthcare to the people, in places where the infrastructure does not exist." The app was clinically tested on 800 children in Tshwane, as well as in a number of old age homes in the Western Cape. Come spring, hearScreen will be loaded onto the cell phones of community health workers in Mamelodi. They are part of a pilot study that will test the use of mHealth technologies to assist community-oriented primary health care. For further information, contact Prof. De Wet Swanepoel, Tel: +27 12 420 4280, or view his profile. |
