Computational Audiology: New Approaches to Advance Hearing Health Care in the Digital Age

Jan-Willem A Wasmann; Cris P Lanting; Wendy J Huinck; Emmanuel A M Mylanus; Jeroen W M van der Laak; Paul J Govaerts; De Wet Swanepoel; David R Moore; Dennis L Barbour

doi:10.1097/AUD.0000000000001041

Computational Audiology: New Approaches to Advance Hearing Health Care in the Digital Age

Ear Hear. 2021 Nov-Dec;42(6):1499-1507. doi: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000001041.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
² Department of Pathology, Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
³ Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization, Linköping University, Sweden.
⁴ The Eargroup, Antwerp, Belgium.
⁵ Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
⁶ Communication Sciences Research Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
⁷ Department of Otolaryngology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
⁸ Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
⁹ Department of Biomedical Engineering. Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

Abstract

The global digital transformation enables computational audiology for advanced clinical applications that can reduce the global burden of hearing loss. In this article, we describe emerging hearing-related artificial intelligence applications and argue for their potential to improve access, precision, and efficiency of hearing health care services. Also, we raise awareness of risks that must be addressed to enable a safe digital transformation in audiology. We envision a future where computational audiology is implemented via interoperable systems using shared data and where health care providers adopt expanded roles within a network of distributed expertise. This effort should take place in a health care system where privacy, responsibility of each stakeholder, and patients' safety and autonomy are all guarded by design.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Artificial Intelligence
Audiology*
Delivery of Health Care
Hearing
Hearing Loss*
Humans

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding