How Does Quality of Life Relate to Auditory Abilities? A Subitem Analysis of the Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire

Abstract Background Objective speech recognition tasks are widely used to measure performance of adult cochlear implant (CI) users; however, the relationship of these measures with patient-reported quality of life (QOL) remains unclear. A comprehensive QOL measure, the Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ), has historically shown a weak association with speech recognition performance, but closer examination may indicate stronger relations between QOL and objective auditory performance, particularly when examining a broad range of auditory skills. Purpose The aim of the present study was to assess the NCIQ for relations to speech and environmental sound recognition measures. Identifying associations with certain QOL domains, subdomains, and subitems would provide evidence that speech and environmental sound recognition measures are relevant to QOL. A lack of relations among QOL and various auditory abilities would suggest potential areas of patient-reported difficulty that could be better measured or targeted. Research Design A cross-sectional study was performed in adult CI users to examine relations among subjective QOL ratings on NCIQ domains, subdomains, and subitems with auditory outcome measures. Study Sample Participants were 44 adult experienced CI users. All participants were postlingually deafened and had met candidacy requirements for traditional cochlear implantation. Data Collection and Analysis Participants completed the NCIQ as well as several speech and environmental sound recognition tasks: monosyllabic word recognition, standard and high-variability sentence recognition, audiovisual sentence recognition, and environmental sound identification. Bivariate correlation analyses were performed to investigate relations among patient-reported NCIQ scores and the functional auditory measures. Results The total NCIQ score was not strongly correlated with any objective auditory outcome measures. The physical domain and the advanced sound perception subdomain related to several measures, in particular monosyllabic word recognition and AzBio sentence recognition. Fourteen of the 60 subitems on the NCIQ were correlated with at least one auditory measure. Conclusions Several subitems demonstrated moderate-to-strong correlations with auditory measures, indicating that these auditory measures are relevant to the QOL. A lack of relations with other subitems suggests a need for the development of objective measures that will better capture patients' hearing-related obstacles. Clinicians may use information obtained through the NCIQ to better estimate real-world performance, which may support improved counseling and development of recommendations for CI patients.

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Subjective Benefits of Bimodal Listening in Cochlear Implant Recipients with Asymmetric Hearing Loss

Otolaryngology ◽

10.1177/0194599820911716 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 162 (6) ◽

pp. 933-941 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nicholas J. Thompson ◽

Margaret T. Dillon ◽

Emily Buss ◽

Meredith A. Rooth ◽

English R. King ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Word Recognition ◽

Cochlear Implant ◽

Sound Field ◽

Profound Hearing Loss ◽

Sentence Recognition ◽

Academic Center ◽

Asymmetric Hearing Loss

Objective To investigate the influence of cochlear implant (CI) use on subjective benefits in quality of life in cases of asymmetric hearing loss (AHL). Study Design Prospective clinical trial. Setting Tertiary academic center. Subjects and Methods Subjects included CI recipients with AHL (n = 20), defined as moderate-to-profound hearing loss in the affected ear and mild-to-moderate hearing loss in the contralateral ear. Quality of life was assessed with the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) pragmatic subscales, which assess binaural benefits. Subjective benefit on the pragmatic subscales was compared to word recognition in quiet and spatial hearing abilities (ie, masked sentence recognition and localization). Results Subjects demonstrated an early, significant improvement ( P < .01) in abilities with the CI as compared to preoperative abilities on the SSQ pragmatic subscales by the 1-month interval. Perceived abilities were either maintained or continued to improve over the study period. There were no significant correlations between results on the Speech in Quiet subscale and word recognition in quiet, the Speech in Speech Contexts subscale and masked sentence recognition, or the Localization subscale and sound field localization. Conclusions CI recipients with AHL report a significant improvement in quality of life as measured by the SSQ pragmatic subscales over preoperative abilities. Reported improvements are observed as early as 1 month postactivation, which likely reflect the binaural benefits of listening with bimodal stimulation (CI and contralateral hearing aid). The SSQ pragmatic subscales may provide a more in-depth insight into CI recipient experience as compared to behavioral sound field measures alone.

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Comparison of word and environmental sound recognition by cochlear implant and hearing aid users

Audiology and Speech Research ◽

10.21848/audiol.2011.7.1.28 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 28-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jae Hee Lee ◽

Ji Hee Kim

Keyword(s):

Cochlear Implant ◽

Hearing Aid ◽

Sound Recognition ◽

Environmental Sound ◽

Environmental Sound Recognition

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Best Practices in the Development, Translation, and Cultural Adaptation of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Adults With Hearing Impairment: Lessons From the Cochlear Implant Quality of Life Instruments

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2021.718416 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Ariane Laplante-Lévesque ◽

Judy R. Dubno ◽

Isabelle Mosnier ◽

Evelyne Ferrary ◽

Theodore R. McRackan

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Best Practices ◽

Cochlear Implant ◽

Hearing Impairment ◽

Cultural Adaptation ◽

Patient Reported Outcome Measures ◽

Patient Reported Outcome ◽

Patient Reported ◽

Translation And Cultural Adaptation

This manuscript summarizes available evidence-based best practices in the development, translation, and cultural adaptation of one type of outcome measure for adults with hearing impairment, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). It presents the development of the Cochlear Implant Quality of Life (CIQOL) instruments and the ongoing translation and cultural adaptation of the CIQOL-35 Profile from English to French as case studies and discusses useful lessons for selecting, developing, translating, culturally adapting, and using PROMs. Relevant best practice guides are introduced, described and their steps are illustrated with examples. Future trends in hearing-related PROMs, including computerized adaptive testing, patient-reported experience measures (PREMs), economic evaluation and allocation of scarce resources, and PROMs in low-resource settings, are discussed. The manuscript concludes on the lessons that can be learned from implementation science for the successful and sustainable integration of PROMs in clinical practice.

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The Bonebridge in Adults with Mixed and Conductive Hearing Loss: Audiological and Quality of Life Outcomes

Audiology and Neurotology ◽

10.1159/000499363 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 90-99 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Piotr H. Skarżyński ◽

Anna Ratuszniak ◽

Bartłomiej Król ◽

Magdalena Kozieł ◽

Kamila Osińska ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Word Recognition ◽

Conductive Hearing Loss ◽

Bone Conduction ◽

Speech Understanding ◽

Hearing Rehabilitation ◽

Patient Reported ◽

Conductive Hearing

Background: Considering that hearing loss has a significant impact on social functioning, everyday activity and a person’s emotional state, one of the most important goals of hearing rehabilitation with bone conduction devices is improvement in a patient’s quality of life. Objectives: To measure self-assessed quality of life in patients implanted with the Bonebridge, a bone conduction device. Method: Prospective, observational, longitudinal study with one treatment group. Twenty-one patients with mixed or conductive hearing loss were included, and each individual served as its own control. The Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) was used to measure patient-reported quality of life before intervention and at 3 and 6 months after activation of the device. At the same time frames, pure-tone audiometry and speech understanding in quiet and in noise were tested. Results: Hearing-specific quality of life increased significantly after intervention and remained stable up to 6 months. Both word recognition in quiet and speech reception threshold in noise were significantly better after 6 months compared to before surgery. Outcomes of aided speech understanding were independent of initial bone conduction thresholds and equally high (word recognition score >75%) across the device’s indication range. Conclusions: The Bonebridge provides not only significant audiological benefit in both speech understanding in quiet and in noise, but also increases self-perceived quality of life in patients suffering from mixed and conductive hearing loss. Together with a very low rate and minor nature of adverse events, it is the state-of-the-art solution for hearing rehabilitation in patients with mixed or conductive hearing loss up to a bone conduction threshold of 45 dB HL.

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The Development of the “Telislife” Questionnaire for the Evaluation of Telephone Use in Cochlear Implant Users

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00273 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Adrien Bolzer ◽

Michel Hoen ◽

Bettina Montaut-Verient ◽

Charles Hoffmann ◽

Marine Ardoint ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Clinical Practice ◽

Speech Recognition ◽

Cochlear Implant ◽

Multicenter Study ◽

Short Form ◽

Monosyllabic Word ◽

Prospective Multicenter Study ◽

Important Landmark

Purpose For cochlear implant users, the ability to use the telephone is often seen as an important landmark during rehabilitation and an indicator of cochlear implant benefit. The goal of this study was to develop a short questionnaire exploring the ability to use the telephone in cochlear implant users, named Telislife, and test it in a group of experienced users. Method This prospective multicenter study was based on the completion of self-administrated questionnaires. The Telislife includes 20 items using a 5-point Likert scale for answers. Speech recognition scores were obtained with monosyllabic word lists at 70 dB HL. Quality of life was evaluated with the Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire. This study included 55 adult patients wearing a cochlear implant for over 1 year. Results The Telislife questionnaire showed excellent reliability (Cronbach's α = .91). A significant correlation was found between Telislife scores and Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire scores ( r = .69, p < .001) and speech recognition scores ( r = .35, p = .007). Conclusion Given significant correlations between Telislife scores and both speech recognition and quality of life and given its short form, the Telislife questionnaire appears to be a reliable tool to evaluate cochlear implant outcomes in clinical practice. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13322873

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Association of Physical Morbidity and Health-Related Quality of Life in a Representative Sample of Older German People

European Journal of Health Psychology ◽

10.1027/2512-8442/a000019 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 140-151

Author(s):

Markus A. Wirtz ◽

Matthias Morfeld ◽

Elmar Brähler ◽

Andreas Hinz ◽

Heide Glaesmer

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Representative Sample ◽

Short Form ◽

Physical Symptoms ◽

German Population ◽

Health Related Quality ◽

Patient Reported ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related

Abstract. The association between health-related quality of life (HRQoL; Short-Form Health Survey-12; SF-12) and patient-reported morbidity-related symptoms measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) is analyzed in a representative sample of older people in the general German population. Data from 1,659 people aged 60 to 85 years were obtained. Latent class analysis identified six classes of patients, which optimally categorize clusters of physical symptoms the participants reported: musculoskeletal impairments (39.8%), healthy (25.7%), musculoskeletal and respiratory/cardiac impairments (12.8%), musculoskeletal and respiratory impairments, along with bowel and digestion problems (12.9%), general impairments (4.9%), and general impairments with no bowel and digestion problems (4.8%). The participants’ SF-12 Physical Health Scores (η2 = .39) and their Mental Health Scores (η2 = .28) are highly associated with these latent classes. These associations remain virtually identical after controlling for age. The results provide evidence that profiles of patient-reported physical impairments correspond strongly with reduced HRQoL independently from aging processes.

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