Abstract
BackgroundThe mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic leads to communication challenges as sound energy gets reduced and the visual cues are lost due to the face mask. This study examines the impact of a face mask on sound energy and compares speech recognition performance between a basic and a premium hearing aid. MethodsParticipants watched four video clips (a female and a male speaker with and without a face mask) and repeated the target sentences in various test conditions. Real-ear measurement was performed to investigate the changes in sound energy in no mask, surgical, and N95 mask conditions. ResultsWith the face mask on, sound energy significantly decreased for all types of masks. For speech recognition, the premium hearing aid showed significant improvement in the mask condition. ConclusionThe findings emphasize and encourage health care professionals to actively use communication strategies, such as speaking slowly and reducing background noise, when interacting with individuals with hearing loss.
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