South African startup to launch US National Screening App

The American Academy of Audiology is launching a hearing screening app this summer. The mobile application, hearScreen USA , available on most smart phones, will be revealed and showcased at the Academy’s upcoming annual conference April 18-21 in Nashville, Tennessee. It has been created in collaboration with the hearX Group and is the first U.S. mobile comprehensive hearing screening application in the U.S. By using the free app (available in iOS and Android), the public will be able to test their hearing through screening and receive an accurate detection of hearing loss. In addition, the app offers personalized hearing tracking, and (unlike any other app,) it has an in-app patient-centered Ida Institute decision support tool, namely ‘Why Improve My Hearing?’. It will also link to the closest audiologist, if a hearing problem is detected.

According to a 2016 study by the National Institutes of Health NIDCD, approximately 15 percent (37.5 million) of American adults aged 20 to 69, have some trouble with hearing and approximately 28.8 million could benefit from the use of hearing aids. As the baby boomer population ages, more Americans are forced to face hearing health challenges. Growing numbers of younger Americans (including millennials and GenX’ers) are also reporting hearing problems.

While age is still the greatest factor in hearing loss, younger people experience hearing problems due to multiple factors including birth defects, illness, exposure to loud music and noises including occupational noise.

“Many people don’t realize that they’re suffering with hearing loss, and others cannot take time from their busy schedules to find an audiologist,” explained Jackie Clark, Ph.D. president of the American Academy of Audiology. “In some cases, the cause is temporary or a symptom of another illness or disease,” she continued. “The soon-to-be-released technology, hearScreen USA , will make hearing screens and the ease of connecting to licensed audiologists readily available to everyone.”

The hearScreen USA app will revolutionize access in the hearing health industry across the U.S. by leveraging the current use of smart phone users (estimated by Statista at 224.3 million in 2017.) Based on technology developed by the University of Pretoria, South Africa, the app provides accurate detection of hearing loss in under three minutes.

The American Academy of Audiology is the world’s largest professional organization of, by and for audiologists. The active membership of more than 12,000 is dedicated to providing quality hearing care services through professional development, education, research, and increased public awareness of hearing and balance disorders. For more information or to find an audiologist, go to www.howsyourhearing.org.

The hearX Group is an innovative technology start-up with a mission to provide affordable access to hearing care using connected solutions that are available to everyone, from any location. The company believes in impact-driven innovation at an individual, community and global level by creating sustainable, smart solutions for healthy hearing. The hearX Group point-of-care mHealth solutions, used in more than 25 countries, provide clinical tests, integrated cloud-based data management, surveillance and referral systems that link patients to care. The company’s vision is healthy hearing for everyone, everywhere. For more information, visit www.hearScreenUSA.com.