Speech-in-Noise Assessment in the Routine Audiologic Test Battery: Relationship to Perceived Auditory Disability.
Matthew B Fitzgerald, Kristina M Ward, Steven P Gianakas and 3 others
PMID 38414136WHAT IT FOUND
Word recognition in quiet did not predict patients' perceived difficulty understanding speech in noise.
Speech-in-noise testing and hearing thresholds did predict this disability, but many patients with normal test scores still reported significant trouble.
Key findings
01Word recognition scores in quiet did not significantly predict whether a patient reported poor perceived auditory disability.
02Hearing thresholds and speech-in-noise losses significantly predicted perceived auditory disability, with moderate diagnostic accuracy.
03Audiometric measures showed poor specificity, meaning many patients with normal hearing or speech-in-noise scores still reported significant difficulty.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study only included patients with symmetric hearing thresholds, excluding those with asymmetric hearing loss. The majority of participants had excellent word recognition scores in quiet, which may have limited the ability to detect a relationship between this measure and perceived disability. The data came from a tertiary care center where patients were referred for specific hearing or medical issues, potentially biasing the sample toward those with perceived problems. Self-administered questionnaires may have contributed to variability in the perceived disability scores.
Declared interests
The authors disclosed their contributions to the study design, data collection, and article preparation. No specific commercial funding or conflicts of interest were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a patient with normal hearing thresholds and normal speech-in-noise scores has no communication difficulties. The study showed poor specificity, meaning many patients with normal test results still reported significant perceived disability.