Cochlear implant recommendations on their way
9 October 2008
Proposed guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends that all children who are newly diagnosed with severe to profound deafness are offered cochlear implants in both ears.
Children who already have one implant will be offered a second if their clinician and family judge that it is likely to be beneficial.
This result is a singular achievement for Deafness Research UK and other charities that have campaigned for better access to cochlear implants for deaf children. Deafness Research UK has provided evidence to NICE of the benefits that cochlear implants can bring.
Having two implants allows children to work out where sounds are coming from and to listen with whichever ear provides clearer sounds. These advantages may help children to avoid hazards outdoors and to understand what is said in noisy environments at home and school.
Chief Research Adviser to Deafness Research UK, Professor Quentin Summerfield says:
”It is excellent that research supported by Deafness Research UK has helped to inform the policy-making process at NICE. One of the charity’s aims is to support timely research whose results are relevant to policy makers in the health and education services.”
During the year ending March 2007, 243 children and 382 adults in England and Wales were given a cochlear implant in one ear and, UK-wide, 32 children and 11 adults had implants in both ears. The new recommendations mean that almost 400 deaf children born each year in England and Wales will have equal access to the technology, ending the previous postcode lottery. Severe to profoundly deaf adults who rely primarily on the sense of hearing for spatial awareness, especially those who are blind, will also be offered implants in both ears.
Deafness Research UK is supporting two studies that are investigating the benefits to children of having cochlear implants in both ears. Dr Margaret Tait at The Ear Foundation is looking at the effect of two implants on the communication skills of young children. At the University of York, Professor Summerfield and Miss Rosemary Lovett are studying the effect of two implants on the abilities of children to locate sounds, to understand speech in noise, and on quality of life. Details of both studies were provided to NICE as part of their consultation process.
Subject to appeal, final guidance is expected to be published by NICE by the end of 2008 and the NHS in England and Wales will then have three months to implement the recommendations.
Click here to download the Final Appraisal Determination documents
