eMoyo Technologies
  • KUDUwave
  • Diagnostic
    • Promotion
    • KUDUwave Pro TMP
    • KUDUwave™ Pro
    • AIROwave mask
    • Accessories
      • X-check
      • KUDUstand
      • Speech
      • Consumables
    • Testimonials
  • Occ health
    • Promotion
    • KUDUwave™ Prime
    • KUDUwave™ OH
    • ORCAwave spirometer
    • AIROwave mask
    • Accessories
  • Latest products
    • KUDUscope
    • KUDUwave Pro Tmp
    • KUDUwave™ OH
    • AIROwave mask
    • Software
      • eMoyo EMR (Electronic Medical Record)
      • KUDUwave Plugins
        • WR (Word Recognition)
        • SRT (Speech Reception)
      • Integrations
  • Support
    • Book A Demo
    • Helpdesk
    • Submit A Ticket
    • Feedback
    • Publications
    • Academy
    • Blogs
      • Audiology
      • Spirometry
      • Pandemic safety
  • Contact Us
  • Buy

Darien Richards Masks for COVID-19, Speech audiometry 0

Effects of Mask Wearing in Relation to Speech

The Importance of Masks in the Time of COVID-19:

Over the past year, people around the world have had to re-evaluate their lifestyles and the way they conduct themselves. Mask wearing has become one of the most significant aspects of preventing the spread of the virus, due to the fact that the virus’ main source of transmission is through droplets. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend the use of medical masks by the public as a shortage of PPE such as medical masks for healthcare workers has been reported. The use of home made masks has raised the extremely prominent concern of how people understand speech when a person is wearing a mask. This is especially important for people who suffer from hearing loss.

The Acoustic Effects of Masks

Studies have shown that face masks decrease the strength and understanding of speech. Hearing professionals and other professionals working with hearing impaired individuals have started using transparent face-masks in order to facilitate speech understanding through lip reading.

In a recent study run by our team at eMoyo (eMoyo Research: An Investigation On The Attenuation Effects Of Face Masks On  Speech Stimuli), a sample of six various types of masks were used in order to test the attenuation values of each mask. This study has proven that masks adversely affect the projection of speech. One of the masks that was used during testing was the AIROwave mask, which was designed by the eMoyo team. The study has also proven that the AIROwave mask as well as surgical masks, have the least effect on speech signals.Therefore, they may be the better masks to use when working with people who have hearing difficulties.

The Face Shield and Clear Mask attenuated the greatest amount of high-frequency energy. These types of masks are recommended when working with patients with hearing loss as they assist with visual cues (i.e. lip reading). However, they decrease the high frequency sound energy that is crucial for speech perception. These masks also offer minimal protection with regards to the spread of COVID-19. This blog post provides pertinent information regarding the importance of masks in the time of COVID-19.

When choosing the correct masks, it is important to ensure that your masks provide you with the best all round effectiveness. A mask that is breathable, comfortable, and easy to speak through is of a high significance during these current times.

BeSafeMask
KUDUwave-Prime
KUDUwave-Pro
KUDUwave-TMP
Orca
« Some important questions with regards to face masks and COVID-19 in general

Darien Richards

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

eMoyo is open and operational. Stay Safe and wear your mask to protect others. Please fill in this form before arriving at our office.

© eMoyo Technologies 2020
See our Privacy Policy
Website developed by IMS
About Us

We want to create a future where medical technology and the care it provides to humanity are merged into a ubiquitous system. We will design technology that will provide primary care as a human right and ensure that access is universal, no matter the economic status, geographical location, or any other demographic feature of our users.

Discover More
  • About eMoyo
  • eMoyo News
  • Subscribe
  • Audiometry blog
  • Spirometry blog
  • Safety blog
Contact Us

Phone: +27 87 231 0132 (SA)
WhatsApp: +27 81 391-5292
Sales: 
Support: 
Address: 179 Beyers Naude Drive,
Johannesburg, South Africa, 2195