Evaluation of Quality of Life in Adults Following Cochlear Implantation

TL;DR

This study shows that cochlear implants significantly improve the quality of life for adults with hearing loss.

Contribution

The study provides empirical evidence of quality-of-life improvements in adults after cochlear implantation using a standardized questionnaire.

Findings

Quality of life improved significantly across all dimensions after cochlear implantation.

Improvements were observed in physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and perception of the living environment.

The study used a pretest-posttest design with a standardized WHO-QOL-BREF questionnaire.

Abstract

Cochlear implantation is a surgical procedure which provides the sense of hearing in patients with sensorineural hearing loss, particularly when conventional hearing aids are no longer effective. Although cochlear implantation is mostly used for children, increasing number of adults are also benefiting from this life-changing technology. As cochlear implantation can improve communication in adults, enhance quality of life and socio-emotional well-being, the primary aim of the present study is to investigate the quality-of-life improvement in adult cochlear implant recipients

This quasi-experimental single-group pretest-posttest study utilized the Persian standardized version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHO-QOL-BREF) to assess quality-of-life improvements in 26 adult cochlear implant recipients with a mean age of 36.19 ± 12.71 years. The questionnaire was administered at two time points: the first month after receiving the speech processor and six months later. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 21.

A repeated-measures ANOVA was performed to examine the effects of cochlear implantation and the subsequent rehabilitation program on four quality-of-life dimensions: physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and perception of the living environment. The analysis revealed a significant main effect of time on quality of life, indicating notable improvements across all dimensions from pre- to post-treatment.

The pre- and post-test analysis using the WHO-QOL-BREF questionnaire demonstrated a significant enhancement in the quality of life among adult cochlear implant recipients. Therefore, cochlear implantation is an effective intervention for treating hearing impairment in adults suffering from progressive hearing loss.