ABSTRACT
Purpose
To compare the Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) and the Word Recognition Score (WRS) in quiet obtained pre and post adjustments according to prescribed values, to investigate correlations between the Speech Intelligibility Index before and after adjustments, and to investigate correlations between pre- and post-adjustment SII in intra-aural hearing aids users.
Methods
20 adults participated, aged 18 to 59 years, with moderate or severe bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. We compared the Speech Intelligibility Index and the WRS obtained with hearing aids in two moments: with the adjustments previously used (pre-adjustment moment) and after modification according to the values prescribed in verification using the NAL-NL1 method (post-adjustment moment). The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests, with a significance level of 0.05.
Results
There was a negative correlation between the pre-adjustment WRS and its post-pre adjustment difference, as well as between the pre-adjustment Speech Intelligibility Index and its post-pre adjustment Delta. There was a positive correlation between post-adjustment PISR and the SII.
Conclusion
The lower the pre-adjustment WRS and Speech Intelligibility Index, the greater their differences comparing the pre- and post-adjustment moments. The greater the access to speech sounds, promoted by the ideal regulation of the hearing aids, the higher the WRS.
Keywords:
Hearing loss; Sensorineural hearing loss; Hearing disorders; Speech audiometry; Hearing aids