Abstract
Objective To evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of adult cochlear implant users (CI) and compare it with the QOL of adults with normal hearing; and study the influence of the variables socioeconomic status, education, age at assessment, auditory sensory deprivation time, device usage time and performance in auditory speech perception tests in the QOL of adult cochlear implant users. Design The QOL was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) generic assessment questionnaire. Study sample Seventy adult CI users formed the experimental group (EG) and 50 adults with normal hearing formed the control group (CG). Results The EG scores were close to the maximum score in satisfactory quality of life for all domains of the WHOQOL-BREF and there were similar results between the EG and CG. The variables age at assessment, duration of auditory sensory deprivation, duration of CI use and performance in auditory speech perception did not influence the results of the QOL of adult cochlear implant users. Conclusion Evaluating the QOL should be a concern of interdisciplinary teams in CI for an intervention with humanized care.
Highlights
Hearing loss in adulthood is a major difficulty in communication and may cause social isolation, depression and negative feelings that can seriously affect personality[1,2]
This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of adult cochlear implant users (CI) and compare it with the QOL of adults with normal hearing and study the influence of the variables: socioeconomic status, education, age at assessment, auditory sensory deprivation time, device usage time and performance in auditory speech perception tests in the QOL of adult cochlear implant users
20 (40%) claimed to have some sort of disease that needs constant treatment. Both the experimental group (EG) and control group (CG) observed that the QOL scores of the WHOQOLBREF were lower than those who reported not having some sort of disease for Domains 1 (Physical), 5 (Self -Assessment of Quality of Life) and general ratings, statistically significant differences were found
Summary
Hearing loss in adulthood is a major difficulty in communication and may cause social isolation, depression and negative feelings that can seriously affect personality[1,2]. Research shows that the cochlear implant (CI) has been an effective clinical resource to improve these individuals quality of life (QOL)(5,6), in a study that assess a long-term QOL of 32 cochlear implant users with the instrument SF-36 before surgery, a year and 10 years after the CI[15]. These authors found statistically significant difference from preoperative to a year of use in three domains of the instrument (Vitality, Social Functioning, and Mental Health), from a year to 10 years in two domains (Physical aspects and Vitality) and from preoperative to 10 years of use in one domain (Pain). This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of adult cochlear implant users (CI) and compare it with the QOL of adults with normal hearing and study the influence of the variables: socioeconomic status, education, age at assessment, auditory sensory deprivation time, device usage time and performance in auditory speech perception tests in the QOL of adult cochlear implant users
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