Validity of questionnaires in the context of the preliminary CI examination

Patients undergo comprehensive diagnostics during the preliminary cochlear implant (CI) examination in order to make a decision for or against a cochlear implantation. The medical indication as well as the patient's wish is examined by an interdisciplinary team by means of various measuring procedures and detailed explanatory discussions. Nevertheless, some patients refuse a cochlear implantation despite a positive indication.

In addition to subjective and objective examinations, various questionnaire inventories are used to assess the patients’ hearing-related quality of life. The „Listening Effort Questionnaire“ measures subjective hearing effort for everyday situations and the „Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale“ (SSQ) measures the impact of hearing loss on speech understanding, spatial hearing and hearing quality. It is questionable whether these questionnaires can provide an indication of the patient's decision, as they provide information about perceptions of hearing impairment in everyday life.

To better assess the validity of the questionnaires in the context of the preliminary CI examination, the results of in total 160 patients were analyzed and divided into two groups: CI-implanted and non-implanted patients. The results show a correlation between the decision to implant a CI and the results of the SSQ on speech understanding and spatial hearing. The results indicate that a recording of subjective perceptions via questionnaires during the preliminary CI examination is useful and helpful. The SSQ proved to be a suitable complement to standardized measurement procedures.

Publication History

Article published online:
24 May 2022