Relating quality of life to outcomes and predictors in adult cochlear implant users: Are we measuring the right things? Laryngoscope 2018 Apr;128(4):959-966
Date
08/05/2017Pubmed ID
28776711Pubmed Central ID
PMC6192249DOI
10.1002/lary.26791Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85028450475 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 32 CitationsAbstract
OBJECTIVE: Current clinical outcome measures for adults receiving cochlear implants (CIs) consist of word and sentence recognition, primarily under quiet conditions. However, these measures may not adequately reflect patients' CI-specific quality of life (QOL). This study first examined traditional auditory-only speech recognition measures and other potentially relevant auditory measures as correlates of QOL in CI users. Second, scores on nonauditory tasks of language and cognition were examined as potential predictors of QOL.
STUDY DESIGN: Twenty-five postlingually deafened adults with CIs were assessed.
METHODS: Participants completed a validated CI-specific QOL measure (the Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire) and were tested for word and sentence recognition in quiet, as well as sentence recognition in speech-shaped noise. Participants also completed assessments of audiovisual speech recognition, environmental sound identification, and a task of complex auditory verbal processing. Several nonauditory language and cognitive tasks were examined as potential predictors of QOL.
RESULTS: Quality-of-life scores significantly correlated with scores for audiovisual speech recognition and recognition of complex sentences in quiet but not sentences in noise or isolated words. No significant correlations were obtained between QOL and environmental sound identification or complex auditory verbal processing. Quality-of-life subdomain scores were predicted by several nonauditory language and cognitive tasks as well as some patient characteristics.
CONCLUSION: Postoperative measures of recognition of sentences in quiet and audiovisual sentence recognition correlate with CI-related QOL. Findings suggest that sentence recognition tasks are QOL-relevant outcomes but only explain a small fraction of the variability in QOL outcomes for this patient population.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4. Laryngoscope, 128:959-966, 2018.
Author List
Moberly AC, Harris MS, Boyce L, Vasil K, Wucinich T, Pisoni DB, Baxter J, Ray C, Shafiro VAuthor
Michael S. Harris MD Associate Professor in the Otolaryngology department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AgedAged, 80 and over
Cochlear Implants
Cognition
Deafness
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Prognosis
Quality of Life
Speech Discrimination Tests
Speech Perception
Surveys and Questionnaires
