HHIE-S (Hearing Handicap Screen)

Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly - Screening (HHIE-S; Ventry & Weinstein 1983): 10-item self-report screen.

Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.

Example

Embarrassed meeting new people
4
Frustrated talking with family
4
Difficulty when someone whispers
4
Feel handicapped by hearing
2
Difficulty visiting friends/relatives
2
Attend religious services less
0
Arguments with family
0
Difficulty with TV/radio
0
Hearing limits social life
0
Difficulty in a restaurant
0

Result: HHIE-S 16 of 40 — mild-to-moderate hearing handicap.

The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.

What the result means

Bands
0-8 no handicap (~13% impairment), 10-24 mild-to-moderate (~50%), 26-40 significant (~84%). A score > 8 prompts audiologic referral.

What you enter

  • Embarrassed meeting new people (0/2/4)
  • Frustrated talking with family (0/2/4)
  • Difficulty when someone whispers (0/2/4)
  • Feel handicapped by hearing (0/2/4)
  • Difficulty visiting friends/relatives (0/2/4)
  • Attend religious services less (0/2/4)
  • Arguments with family (0/2/4)
  • Difficulty with TV/radio (0/2/4)
  • Hearing limits social life (0/2/4)
  • Difficulty in a restaurant (0/2/4)
How this is calculated
Items
10 items, each No 0 / Sometimes 2 / Yes 4 = 0-40 (all totals even).

Ventry IM, Weinstein BE. Identification of elderly people with hearing problems. ASHA. 1983;25(7):37-42. Read the source ↗

A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.

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Built by Clay Good. Source on GitHub.