Study on evaluation methods of communication ability with postoperative oral and nasopharyngeal cancer patients.

本研究旨在建立口腔及鼻咽癌患者言语障碍的客观评估方法。选用直接幅度估计法(DME)，以舌叶切除患者的语音样本为样本，检验了DME方法的有效性和可靠性。结果表明：1.DME方法在有经验的听者中具有较高的判断内信度和判断间信度；2.DME方法的结果与句子清晰度测试结果高度相关。DME评分与EAI评分之间存在显著的相关性。认为DME法比EAI法更适用于舌切除术后言语障碍的分级，因为DME法可以作为一个连续统一体来评价言语清晰度。

The purpose of this study is to develop the objective assessment methods for speech disorders with oral and nasopharyngeal cancer patients. Direct magnitude estimation (DME) method was selected and the validity and reliability of DME method was examined, using speech sample from glossectomized patients. A comparison of DME method and EAI(equal-appearing interval) scaling was also undertaken.The following results were obtained.1.Intrajudge and interjudge reliability for the DME method was high in experienced listeners.2.The results obtained by DME method were highly related to the results of sentence intelligibility test. DME method was shown to be valid measure.3.There were significant correlations between DME ratings and EAI ratings. It was considered that DME method was more appropriate than EAI scales for rating speech disorders after glossectomy, because DME method could evaluate speech intelligibility as a continuum.