Received: 20.03.2023 / Accepted: 04.07.2023 / Published online: 31.08.2023
UDC: 615.32:582.635.3
DOI 10.53511/PHARMKAZ.2023.62.20.013
R.P. Suatbayeva, R. A. Bayalieva, A.K. Khasenova, A.S. Alimbek, A.M. Makhambetkarim
Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University
TESTING OF A SPEECH AUDIOMETRY TEST IN THE KAZAKH LANGUAGE TO FACILITATE HEARING AID ASSESSMENTS
Resume: Speech audiometry enables to make the quantitative hearing assessment by determining the
speech intelligibility at its various intensities.
Selecting the hearing correction method and assessing the hearing aid effectiveness, including the cochlear
implantation, it is required to use the speech audiometry test.
In spite of the wide indications for speech audiometry testing, it is practically not used currently in our country,
because there are no any developed methods and speech materials in the Kazakh language.
As many studies of the foreign authors show, the speech audiometry test preferably shall be made in the
native language of the patient in question.
Methods: 100 patients at the age of 45-59 years old (56 females and 44 males) have been enrolled
into the study. These patients had the normal otoscopic pattern and tympanogram of type A. 20 patients
had the normal hearing (control group) and 80 patients had the second and third degree chronic bilateral
sensorineural hearing loss.
Results: The absolute agreement of the interclass single measurement of the coefficient of correlation was
0.95 (Confidence Interval – 95% [0.86; 0.93]); it confirms the high retest reliability. The total test scores
and individual test scores were significantly higher in the group than in the control group (P <0.001). Total
test scores and individual test scores in the post-treatment group of patients were significantly lower than
scores before treatment (P <0.001). Use of single-syllable words and multi-syllable words in silence was the
principal category to identify the effectiveness of hearing aids during Kz-test.
Conclusions: The Kz-test has been successfully developed and validated for use among the Kazakh-speaking
population. The test is inexpensive with strong internal consistency, a high retest rate, good reliability, and
optimal clinical validity.
Keywords: hearing aids, speech audiometry test, chronic sensorineural hearing loss.
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