Non-technical hearing screening using a self-assessment questionnaire in a mobile app offers a low-cost solution for at-risk populations. The present study developed Kannada-language hearing questions using health literacy principles—plain language, simple phrasing, and dialect inclusion—to improve accessibility for underserved groups.

To evaluate the effectiveness of culturally relevant Kannada hearing questions in detecting hearing loss compared with technical screening. The objectives were to assess the content validity of the new questionnaire, compare the accuracy of technical and non-technical screening apps against conventional pure-tone audiometry, and measure client satisfaction.

Eighty-four participants aged 20 to 45 years with minimal-to- moderate hearing loss were evaluated using a comparative research design.

A standardised adult hearing questionnaire was developed and content-validated. Each participant underwent hearing screening with both technical and non-technical mobile apps, followed by a client satisfaction survey. Conventional pure-tone audiometry (0.5–8 kHz) was used to determine hearing thresholds.

The technical screening app demonstrated 97% sensitivity and accuracy, with 95% specificity. Although the non-technical app initially showed lower accuracy, employing a two-refer threshold improved its performance to 86% sensitivity, 100% specificity, and 97% accuracy. Additionally, user satisfaction ratings were higher for the non-technical app.

With a two-refer threshold, the accuracy of the Kannada non-technical screening app was comparable to that of the technical screening method.

The self-guided technical app benefits individuals with technical proficiency, while the non-technical screening is ideal for native speakers with dexterity issues or limited technical skills.

Data will be available upon request to the corresponding author.

All authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

HN: designing experiments, conducting research, statistical analysis, and securing research funding; JT: collecting data and analyzing/interpreting data; JT and HN: drafting the manuscript and critically reviewing the intellectual content of the manuscript.

Ethical approval was secured from the JSS ethics committee (JSSMC/IEC/18122023/31 NCT/2023–24). Participants provided informed consent prior to their inclusion in the study.

Editor-in-Chief: Geraldo Pereira Jotz.

Received: 18 February 2025

Accepted: 02 November 2025

Article published online:
05 May 2026

© 2026. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Bibliographical Record
Hemanth Narayan Shetty, Juditha Tina. Evaluating the Accuracy and User Satisfaction of Culturally-Relevant Kannada-Based Hearing Screening App Compared to Technical Screening Method. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2026; 30: s00461817134.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0046-1817134