Zeitschrift für Sprachpathologie und Therapie

Abstrakt

Using the International Classification of Functioning Model to Gain New Insight into the Impact of Cochlear Implants on Prelingually Deafened Recipients

Ming Zhang, Chantal Malysa, Fiona Huettmeyer, Doris Piplica, and Brian Schmidt

Objective: Speech perceptions are a traditional measure typically used to diagnose and evaluate outcomes of cochlear implants (CI) in prelingually deafened recipients, but this limits the ability to evaluate all potential outcomes. This study used a new approach which may cover all potential outcomes.

Methods: A new measure based on the World Health Organization-International Classification of Functioning (WHO-ICF) model was used to diagnose and evaluate outcomes of a series of eight patients attended to our tertiary referral center. The patients were prelingual cochlear implant users. The outcomes were evaluated based on the scores in three WHO-ICF model based categories: 1) Quality of Participation Activities, 2) Quantity of Hearing Activities, and 3) Environmental Factors.

Results: Scores were inter-related among the categories. Environmental Factors increased the frequency of participation in hearing activities, but may not necessarily result in better quality or performance for those activities. The quality of life improved with CI for factors including one-on-one conversations, family relationships, enjoyment in music, safety, self-esteem, overall happiness, and level of independence.

Conclusions: Preliminary findings support the use of a WHO-ICF model in evaluating outcomes for the prelingually deafened adult CI users. Quality and frequency of hearing activities were improved in many aspects of the lives of prelingually deafened adults post-CI. This study also highlights the impact of support from family, health professionals and friends on the overall benefits received from the CI.