A mismatch between what people report and what a test detects can suggest a design problem without validating a business. CDC's report first released February 7, 2017 found audiometric notches in almost one quarter of adults reporting excellent or good hearing. The weighted analysis covered U.S. civilian, noninstitutionalized adults aged 20–69 examined in 2011–12. It did not test a new detection product. [mm6605e3][mm6437a8]

The information gap has at least two parts. Detecting a notch means identifying a particular hearing-threshold pattern; explaining it means establishing its cause. CDC treated the pattern as an imperfect proxy for noise-induced hearing loss and warned about self-reported exposures and other factors, including aging and genetics. A product that measures a pattern would not thereby establish when or where damage occurred. [mm6605e3][mm6437a8]

A companion CDC summary from September 25, 2015 describes another potential design target: difficulty with conversation in background noise. In the 2014 interview survey, 21.0% of civilian, noninstitutionalized adults aged 18 or older reported that difficulty always, usually or about half the time. A tool addressing that experience would need to distinguish its purpose from detecting the examination pattern. The percentages cannot be combined into a customer count. [mm6605e3][mm6437a8]

The commercial question is therefore what a proposed tool would accurately measure and improve, not merely how many people might be unaware. The 2017 report noted limited evidence for benefits of regular screening among adults over 50. Neither publication establishes screening efficacy, demand, pricing or improved outcomes for an innovation. Under-recognition is a reason to investigate a hypothesis, not proof that a product works or should be purchased. [mm6605e3][mm6437a8]

Source documents

  1. Vital Signs: Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Among Adults — United States 2011–2012https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6605e3.htm
  2. QuickStats: Percentage of Adults with Selected Hearing Problems, by Type of Problem and Age Group — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2014https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6437a8.htm