TY - JOUR
T1 - Speech-in-noise screening tests by internet, part 1: test evaluation for noise-induced hearing loss identification
AU - Leensen, Monique C. J.
AU - de Laat, Jan A. P. M.
AU - Dreschler, Wouter A.
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - In the Netherlands three internet-based self-screening tests have been developed; the National Hearing Test (NHT), Earcheck (EC), and Occupational Earcheck (OEC). These tests are adaptive speech-in-noise tests using either digit triplets or monosyllables, presented in stationary speech-shaped noise. These tests can be highly valuable in increasing the awareness and prevention of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). This study evaluates these online speech-in-noise tests and investigates their potential to detect NIHL. In a multi-centre study the results of the three online screening tests are compared to pure-tone audiometry and to the Dutch sentence SRT test ( Plomp & Mimpen, 1979a ), which is considered the clinical standard. Study sample: In total, 49 normal-hearing listeners and 49 patients with different degrees of NIHL participated. The online tests show good reliability, but there is much overlap in outcomes between normal-hearing listeners and participants with early NIHL. In addition, rather low correlations of the test results with both the Dutch sentence SRT test and pure-tone thresholds are found. These findings result in rather low test sensitivity: 54% (NHT) and 51% (EC), or low specificity: 49% (OEC). The online screening tests in their current form are unsuitable to be used for early NIHL screening purposes
AB - In the Netherlands three internet-based self-screening tests have been developed; the National Hearing Test (NHT), Earcheck (EC), and Occupational Earcheck (OEC). These tests are adaptive speech-in-noise tests using either digit triplets or monosyllables, presented in stationary speech-shaped noise. These tests can be highly valuable in increasing the awareness and prevention of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). This study evaluates these online speech-in-noise tests and investigates their potential to detect NIHL. In a multi-centre study the results of the three online screening tests are compared to pure-tone audiometry and to the Dutch sentence SRT test ( Plomp & Mimpen, 1979a ), which is considered the clinical standard. Study sample: In total, 49 normal-hearing listeners and 49 patients with different degrees of NIHL participated. The online tests show good reliability, but there is much overlap in outcomes between normal-hearing listeners and participants with early NIHL. In addition, rather low correlations of the test results with both the Dutch sentence SRT test and pure-tone thresholds are found. These findings result in rather low test sensitivity: 54% (NHT) and 51% (EC), or low specificity: 49% (OEC). The online screening tests in their current form are unsuitable to be used for early NIHL screening purposes
U2 - https://doi.org/10.3109/14992027.2011.595016
DO - https://doi.org/10.3109/14992027.2011.595016
M3 - Article
C2 - 21988504
SN - 1499-2027
VL - 50
SP - 823
EP - 834
JO - International Journal of Audiology
JF - International Journal of Audiology
IS - 11
ER -