METHODS

Data sources:

Medline, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica (1966 to April 2005), bibliographies of relevant articles and a clinical skills textbook, and experts in the field.

Study selection and assessment:

English language studies that evaluated the accuracy or precision of bedside screening questions or physical examination manoeuvres for hearing impairment in symptomatic and asymptomatic people ⩾16 years of age. 24 studies (n = 12 645) met the selection criteria. The tests evaluated included a self report screening question (eg, “Do you feel you have a hearing loss?”); the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly, screening version (HHIE-S), a 10 item self administered questionnaire measuring the social and emotional …