The Development of Remote Speech Recognition Tests for Adult Cochlear Implant Users: The Effect of Presentation Mode of the Noise and a Reliable Method to Deliver Sound in Home Environments.
The number of cochlear implant (CI) users is increasing annually, resulting in an increase in the workload of implant centers in ongoing patient management and evaluation. Remote testing of speech recognition could be time-saving for both the implant centers as well as the patient. This study addresses two methodological challenges we encountered in the development of a remote speech recognition tool for adult CI users. First, we examined whether speech recognition in noise performance differed when the steady-state masking noise was presented throughout the test (i.e. continuous) instead of the standard clinical use for evaluation where the masking noise stops after each stimulus (i.e. discontinuous). A direct coupling between the audio port of a tablet computer to the accessory input of the sound processor with a personal audio cable was used. The setup was calibrated to facilitate presentation of stimuli at a predefined sound level. Finally, differences in frequency response between the audio cable and microphones were investigated.
Section Ear and Hearing, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, and EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Feike
F
de Graaff
Elke
E
Huysmans
Obaid Ur Rehman
OU
Qazi
Filiep J
FJ
Vanpoucke
Paul
P
Merkus
S Theo
ST
Goverts
Cas
C
Smits
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019929:Cochlear Implantation; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009622:Noise; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio; D013067:Speech Perception; D013069:Speech Reception Threshold Test / Q000379:methods*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult