development of a training software to improve speechin- noise perception in the elderly with noise-induced hearing loss

Background and aim: the incidence of noise-induced hearing loss (nihl) is increasing rapidly worldwide. it has been shown that the long-term exposure to noise leads to permanent hearing loss. there is currently no treatment for nihl and it is mainly managed by preventive measures. this study aimed to develop a training software to improve speech-in-noise (sin) perception in the elderly suffering from mild-to-moderate nihl due to temporal fine structure (tfs) damage.methods: this is a non-randomized clinical trial conducted on 8 older men aged 60-75 years (mean age = 68 ± 4.5 years) with mild-to-moderate nihl at high frequencies (43.75±6.0 dbhl) with at least for five years of work in noisy environment. they received rehabilitation using a researcher-developed training software targeted tfs for five weeks. to assess the efficiency of the training software, the signal-to-noise ratio for 50% correct scores (snr-50%) was calculated using the word-in-noise test before and after the trial.results: the snr-50% improved significantly in all participants from 13±2.63 db to 6.10±2.85 db (p<0.001). in the multiple linear regression model, the rehabilitation by the training software predicted 68% of improvement in snr-50% (coefficient of determination=0.676).conclusion:rehabilitation by the training software developed based on tfs can improve sin perception in the elderly with nihl.