Awareness about Cochlear Implantation in Parents of Deaf Children at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pune

Abstract

Introduction: A cochlear implant (CI) is a small, complex electronic device that can help to provide a sense of hearing to profoundly deaf people. Objective: The objective is to evaluate the level of awareness among the parents of deaf children about cochlear implantation, to know their willingness toward implantation, and to correlate their knowledge with their socioeconomic status. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 45 parents of deaf children who came to tertiary care hospitals for treatment in. They were telephonically interviewed by a structured questionnaire with emphasis on their knowledge about the implantation. They were also enquired about their socioeconomic characteristics. Data were collected and analyzed using the Kuppuswamy scale, Microsoft Excel, and Kruskal–Wallis test. Results and Discussion: The mean awareness of parents was only 59.5%. Twenty-two percent of parents belonged to the upper middle, 24% to the lower middle, and 54% to the lower class. The median awareness among the lower class was 5 (1–8) while among upper middle and lower middle-class parents was 8 (7–10) and 8 (6–9), respectively. It can be observed that the maximum population of the sample size belonged to the lower socioeconomic group, but they had the lowest awareness, and this finding was statistically significant with P = 0.01. Conclusion: The knowledge and utilization of CI have to be increased in the lower socioeconomic group by conducting similar studies in multiple centers and by conducting awareness campaigns.