In Brief:
The objective of the study was to implement a previously developed automatic speech-in-noise screening test by telephone, introduce it nationwide as a self-test, and to analyze the results. The test measures the speech reception threshold in noise in an adaptive procedure using digit triplets as speech material. The test result is given as good, insufficient, or poor. In the first 4 mo, 65,924 people took the initiative and dialed the test. Seventy-five percent of the callers were older than 44 yr of age. Starting at about 45 yr of age, there was an increase in SRTTn with increasing age. Mean measurement error was within 1 dB. The study shows the successful implementation and some results from the test. The test can be done in about 3minutes, 30sec, including introductory text, explanation of the test procedure, test result, and recommendation for audiological evaluation. The high number of callers implies that the test is probably fulfilling the need for a functionalhearing screening test and has enhanced public awareness about hearing loss.
