Smartphone hearing checks for newborns in Kenya
Official title: mHealth OAE: Towards Universal Newborn Hearing Screening in Kenya (mTUNE)
Funded at University of Washington · NIH-11375372 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests a low-cost smartphone device to screen newborns and young infants for hearing loss at Kenyan clinics.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $324,627 |
| NIH project number | 4R33DC021643-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11375372 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are newborns and young infants receiving postnatal care at participating clinics in Kenya.
✕Less likely to help
Children beyond the early infancy period, people outside participating Kenyan clinics, or those with hearing problems not detectable by OAE screening are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
If my newborn is enrolled, health workers will use a low-cost smartphone attachment that records ear responses (otoacoustic emissions) to check hearing. The team will refine the device and app to work in noisy clinic settings and for different infant ages, and will train frontline and lay health workers to use it. They will pilot the screening across Kenyan clinics, compare consistency between users, and improve usability based on real-world feedback. The goal is a simple, affordable hearing check that can be used routinely in low-resource clinics.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could enable earlier detection and timely treatment of hearing loss for newborns in Kenyan clinics using affordable equipment.
How similar studies have gone: Similar smartphone OAE devices have shown comparable performance to standard screening equipment in U.S. trials, but their real-world use in low-resource Kenyan clinics is relatively untested.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Washington
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Benki-Nugent, Sarah F. — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Benki-Nugent, Sarah F.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.