Performance evaluation of urdu speech audiometry in hearing impaired people

Background: Urdu has historically lacked validated speech audiometry materials, limiting clinicians to improvised and unreliable tests. Recently developed Urdu spondee and monosyllabic word lists have been validated in normal-hearing listeners. This study evaluated their clinical utility in hearing-impaired adults. Methods: Forty Urdu-speaking adults aged 18–60 years including conductive loss (n=10), mild sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL; n=10), moderate SNHL (n=10), and moderately severe SNHL (n=10) and with bilateral hearing loss were recruited in the study. Pure-tone audiometry was used as an established threshold. Speech Reception Thresholds (SRT) were measured using the Urdu spondee list. While Word Recognition Scores (WRS) were assessed using validated monosyllabic lists at four intensity levels (10 dB above SRT to 5 dB below uncomfortable loudness level). Results: pure-tone averages as SRTs raised systematically with severity and closely matched, the mild SNHL 34.5±3.7 dB (PTA 35.6±4.8), moderate SNHL 49.5±3.7 dB (PTA 52.5±3.8), moderately severe SNHL 62.1±2.5 dB (PTA 63.6±4.2), and conductive HL 42.0±5.4 dB (PTA 45.0±5.0). Word recognition improved with intensity across all groups. Conductive HL achieved the highest scores up to 100%, mild SNHL up to 89%, moderate SNHL up to 78%, and moderately severe SNHL up to 69%. Performance-intensity curves showed up a plateau at higher levels with no rollover. Conclusions: The Urdu spondee and monosyllabic lists yielded results consistent with audiological norms. SRTs agreed closely with audiometric thresholds, and WRS patterns reflected hearing loss type and severity. These findings validate the new Urdu materials as reliable clinical tools for Urdu-speaking patients with hearing impairment.