Development of a quick speech in noise test in Turkish, based on Quick-SIN

Abstract Background Speech-in-noise tests are crucial for assessing the communication difficulties faced by individuals with hearing loss in daily life. Adapting these tests into different languages is essential for accurate and effective auditory evaluation. This study aimed to develop a Quick Speech-in-Noise (QuickSIN) test for assessing individuals whose native language is Turkish. Materials and methods First, we developed sentences and babble noise suited to Turkish phonetic structures for QuickSIN test in Turkish. The sentences and background noise were recorded in a sound studio and in the first experiment, all sentences in babble noise were presented to 10 participants with normal hearing. Based on the results, ten test lists were created using the selected sentences. In the second experiment, these test lists were presented to 18 participants with normal hearing (reference group – all hearing threshold better than 20 decibels hearing level) and 23 participants with bilateral symmetric sensorineural hearing loss to validate the test. The third experiment evaluated the reliability of the lists by presenting them to 30 participants with normal hearing under both filtered (750 Hz, 1400 Hz) and unfiltered conditions. Results All lists demonstrated statistically significant differences between the hearing loss and reference groups ( p < 0.001) in the second experiment. The validity of the lists created was determined. The results of the third experiment showed that, except for the tenth list, the confidence intervals for all the other lists were similar. Conclusion Nine equivalent lists and two practice lists were compiled for the Turkish version of the QuickSIN (QuickSIN-TR) test. The signal-to-noise ratio loss can be assessed using any of the nine lists, and the test can be performed in approximately one minute.