Are You Experiencing Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss often develops gradually, and some men and women may ignore the initial symptoms. It's… Read On
ACENT Alaska Center for Ear Nose and Throat
3841 Piper Street T-230
Anchorage, AK 99508
Phone: (907) 279-8800
Fax: (907) 279-8810
Monday–Thursday: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
QuickSIN Speech-in-Noise Test
Do you struggle to hear in background noise?
ACENT is implementing the QuickSIN Speech-in-Noise Test in our Anchorage hearing center for patients from Wasilla, Palmer, and surrounding areas. This new auditory test measures your individual ability to hear in background noise!
What is QuickSIN?
The QuickSIN Speech-in-Noise Test is an audiologic test that quickly and easily measures a person’s ability to hear in noise. Recent studies from the Stanford Ear Institute at Stanford University show that the results of this test:
- Can better assess a person’s perceived communication abilities.
- Are more sensitive to the effects of aging and auditory pathologies than word recognition tests performed in quiet.
- Can contribute useful information to the selection process of hearing aids or other necessary treatments.
Our audiologists have been trained on the administration of this test and will be routinely implementing it in our test battery for all of our patients going forward.
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Our highly-trained providers look forward to meeting you and answering all of your questions.
Request My ConsultationWhat type of hearing loss does the speech-in-noise hearing test determine?
The QuickSIN test is a test for signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss, which is a loss of hearing clarity. SNR loss is different from loss of hearing sensitivity. (Review the table for a comparison.)
| Type of Hearing Loss | What Is It? | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Loss of sensitivity | Difficulty hearing, especially quiet sounds | You have difficulty hearing speech and other sounds. |
| Loss of clarity | Difficulty understanding speech, especially in surrounding noise | You can hear what others are saying, but you have difficulty understanding them. |
How does the speech-in-noise test work?
During the test, you listen to a realistic simulation of a social gathering and repeat each sentence a target talker says (or as much of the sentence as possible) while tuning out one or more background talkers. Each QuickSIN test takes only about a minute.
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What do QuickSIN results help with?
These results help our audiologists choose the most appropriate hearing aids or other assistive technology for each patient. We also use these results to help patients have realistic expectations about how their hearing can be improved.
Sources:
Gianakas, S., Qian, J., Losorelli, S., Swanson, A., Fitzgerald, M. “Refining the audiologic test battery: speech-in-noise testing better represents perceived patient performance.” Poster presented at American Academy of Audiology Annual Conference, Columbus, Ohio. Mar. 28, 2019.
Fitzgerald, M. “Guidelines for replacing word-recognition in quiet with speech-in-noise testing in the routine audiologic test battery.” Mar. 2019. PowerPoint presentation.
