The Finnish simplified matrix sentence test for the assessment of speech intelligibility in the elderly.

Objective: A simplified version of the Finnish matrix sentence test (FMST) was developed to improve the reliability of hearing diagnostic for children and for patients with limited working memory capacity and/or vocabulary. Design: Study 1 evaluated the word matrix of the Finnish simplified matrix sentence test (FINSIMAT) to rule out systematic differences between the new FINSIMAT test lists, and to provide reference values for normal-hearing (NH) young adults (YA). In Study 2, the FINSIMAT and the FMST were evaluated in elderly listeners with mild-to-moderate hearing impairment (HI). Study sample: Twenty NH YAs participated in Study 1, and 16 elderly HI adults participated in Study 2. Results: For NH YAs, the reference speech reception threshold (SRT₅₀) estimate and the slope for the FINSIMAT were −11.2 ± 1.0 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and 19.4 ± 1.9%/dB SNR. For the elderly HI listeners, the mean SRT₅₀ estimates for the FINSIMAT and FMST were −4.1 and −3.6 dB SNR, respectively. The correlation between the FMST and FINSIMAT results was strong (r² = 0.78, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The FINSIMAT showed comparable characteristics to the FMST and proved feasible for measurements in elderly HI listeners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]