The abstract is read at the publisher; the summary is JClub's.
Among 46 call center employees in Cairo, Egypt (Jan–Mar 2026), self-reported auditory dysfunction was common, with mishearing words at 82.6% and tinnitus at 60.9%.
- Why it matters: Rapid call center growth in developing settings raises early-career occupational auditory risks, yet early identification and prevention depend on knowing how widespread symptoms are and what factors track with them.
- What they did: A pilot cross-sectional survey used a structured questionnaire plus three March 2026 interviews, and tested associations with acoustic shock, cognitive symptom burden, shift type, years of work, and working hours.
- The result: Auditory symptom severity was linked to acoustic shock history (Mann Whitney U = 344.0, p = .004) and cognitive symptom burden (Spearman’s rho = .416, p = .004), but not significantly to shift type (p = .177), years of work (p = .885), or daily/weekly hours.
The findingWhy it mattersWhat they didThe result
AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.