Calculating the hearing loss in percent based on speech audiograms in German, French and Italian

In Switzerland, speech audiometry in quiet is conducted in German, French, or Italian, depending on the patient’s native language. For insurance purposes, a percentage hearing loss is calculated from the speech audiogram based on word recognition scores at three predefined intensity levels, which differ between the three languages. This study aimed to evaluate whether the current intensity levels yield comparable results across all three languages. We analyzed pure-tone and speech audiograms from 73 patients tested in German, 50 in French, and 121 in Italian. The percentage hearing loss derived from the speech audiogram was compared to that obtained from the pure-tone audiogram, using the internationally used CPT-AMA table. Our findings indicate that the German and the Italian language tests produce comparable results, whereas the French test requires presentation at nearly 10 dB higher intensity levels to achieve comparable results.