Is the digit triplet test an effective and acceptable way to assess speech recognition in adults using cochlear implants in a home environment?

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the validity of the Digit Triplet Test (DTT) in a simulated home environment for measuring speech recognition in adults with cochlear implants by comparing the result to clinic speech perception tests. To evaluate the acceptability of the DTT in adults using cochlear implants.

Methods: A prospective single-centre study with the following outcomes:

• DTT Speech Reception Threshold

• Clinic speech perception tests (BKB sentences in quiet and noise, City University of New York sentences with lip-reading)

• A satisfaction questionnaire to assess patient perception of the DTT

Sixteen people using cochlear implants aged from 43 to 83 years took part.

Results: • Eighty-eight percent of participants were able to be tested on the DTT; there were no floor or ceiling effects.

• DTT SRT was highly correlated with clinic BKB sentence scores in quiet and adaptive noise, and participants felt positive about using the DTT for home testing.

Conclusion: The majority of adults using cochlear implants in this study were able and willing to use the DTT to test their speech recognition in a simulated home environment. The DTT SRT was highly correlated with traditional clinic sentence scores, supporting its validity as a home test for hearing in adults using cochlear implants. Hearing testing in the clinic is still the gold standard of clinical care for people with cochlear implants, but a home test could provide a useful addition.

Keywords:

• Cochlear implant
• Speech perception
• Telemedicine
• Person-centred care

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the people with cochlear implants who give so freely of their time and experience in order to further cochlear implant research. Thank you also to Daniel Rowan for help with the DTT.

Disclaimer statements

Contributors None.

Funding None.

Conflicts of interest The first author performs private consultancy work for Cochlear Europe Ltd.

Ethics approval None.

ORCID

H. E. Cullington http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5093-2020