Investigation of the Effect of Audiologists' Use of Masks on Speech Discrimination Scores.

INTRODUCTION

In this study, the authors aimed to evaluate whether communication between the audiologist and the patient during speech audiometry is disrupted by the use of face masks.

METHODS

This was a single-center, observational, prospective study. The audiologist obtained the speech discrimination test (SDT) while participants wore a single layer of surgical mask, an N95 mask, and also while not wearing a mask.

RESULTS

A total of 112 patients (224 ears) participated in the study. The SDT score measured by the audiologist while using a surgical mask was lower than the SDT score without any protective equipment (72.64±25.60 versus 73.32±25.59, P <0.001). The SDT score assessed with the N95 was 70.48±26.59; a significant reduction was observed in the measurement taken without a protective mask compared with the surgical mask ( P <0.001). In the subgroup analyses, similar outcomes were noted in the groups without hearing loss as well as in those with severe hearing loss.

CONCLUSION

The audiologist's use of protective equipment may impact the results of SDTs. For this reason, a retrospective re-evaluation of hearing tests performed during the recent pandemic may come to the fore.