Development and Validation of a Short Version of the Thai Five-Minute Hearing Test to Screen Hearing in the Community
Pornthep Kasemsiri MD*, Kwanchanok Yimtae MD*, Panida Thanaviratananitch MA (Audiology)*, Pipop Siripaopradith MD**
Affiliation : * Department of Otolaryngorhinology, Faculty of Medicine Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand ** Phu Wieng Hospital, Khon Kaen, Thailand
Objective : To develop a rapid hearing test for community-based mass-screening.
Material and Method: The Thai version of the Five-Minute Hearing test (Thai-FMHT) was translated from the original
English. The validity of the Thai-FMHT was evaluated then factor analysis was used to develop the Thai-FMHT short
version. The validity and internal consistency of the short version were assessed between July and September 2011.
Results : We collected the results of the FMHT and audiometric data for 558 participants in the Phu Wieng, Khon Kaen,
Thailand. Five representative items were selected from the 15 items in the Thai-FMHT for development of the short version.
The short Thai-FMHT had high internal consistency (0.85) and a high correlation with the Thai-FMHT, for screening mild
and moderate hearing loss (HL) (0.73 and 0.85, respectively). A score of 3 was designated a suitable cut-off for screening
mild HL (sensitivity 67.6% (95% CI: 59.1 to 75.4), specificity 54% (95% CI: 49.1 to 58.9)). As for moderate HL, the short
Thai-FMHT offered a sensitivity of 82.8% (95% CI: 64.2 to 94.2) and a specificity of 76.6% (95% CI: 72.7 to 80.1) at an
optimized cut-off of 5.
Conclusion : The short version of the FMHT is suitable for community-based mass-screening for hearing loss. A score of 3
to 4 should see a general ENT doctor for early investigation; whereas, a score of 5 and above should get hearing evaluated
with standard audiometric testing by a neurootologist.
Keywords : Validity, Screening, Five minute hearing test, Hearing loss, Community
