Position statement on cochlear implants

4 May 2005

Deafness Research UK reaffirms benefits of cochlear implants

Cochlear Implants - Crossing the Channels to Complete Communication

• Cochlear implants can help reduce the barriers to communication that many recipients experience due to hearing impairment (see note 1)
• Cochlear implants can enable adult and paediatric recipients to enjoy a richer family life (see note 2)

Cochlear Implants - Opening Doors to Fuller Integration

• Cochlear implants can provide significant economic benefit to recipients and to society:
• Cochlear implants can enable some recipients to return to work and / or increase their work opportunities (see note 3 and note 4)
• Cochlear implants can provide society with significant reductions in costs related to welfare and other support payments (see note 5)
• Cochlear implants dramatically increase the speech and language development of hearing impaired children, making integration into mainstream school easier (see note 6) and significantly reducing the costs of education (see note 7)
  

Cochlear Implants - Dispelling the Myths

• Cochlear implants are a safe and reliable choice for children and adults (see note 8, note 9, and note 10)
• Cochlear implants are becoming a more effective intervention for adults and children (see note 11) with a severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss who are no longer able to benefit or who have never benefited from hearing aids
• Cochlear implants achieve acceptable value for money for health services (see note 12)

'Call to Action' Messages

• Research into hearing impairment and the solutions offered must be sustained and given additional support to continue to:
• provide informed choices to meet all patient needs
• ensure that health care professionals are well informed and familiar with the latest technology available to meet all patients' needs
• raise awareness of the substantial and beneficial results that new technology such as CIs can bring to society and to the economy
• Outcomes of existing studies should also be actively disseminated with the same aims.

Notes

1. Royal National Institute for Deaf People, Department of Health, British Medical Association, Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of General Practitioners. A Simple Cure. RNID Web site; March 2004 ·back·
2. Julia Horton, Health Editor, Edinburgh Evening News. Resounding Victory for Lily. Edinburgh Evening News; 28th June 2004 ·back·
3. Royal National Institute for Deaf People. Facts and figures on deafness and tinnitus; RNID Web site; January 2003 ·back·
4. Hogan A, Code C, Taylor A, Wilson D. Employment and Economic Outcomes for Deafened Adults with Cochlear Implants; Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling 1999; 5(1): 1-8. ·back·
5. Drinkwater T. The Benefits of Cochlear Implantation in Young Children; March 2004; pp 5 ·back·
6. Francis HW, Niparko JK. Cochlear implantation update; Pediatr Clin N Am 2003; 50: 341-361 ·back·
7. O'Neill C, O'Donoghue GM, Archbold SM, Normand C. A cost utility analysis of pediatric cochlear implantation; Laryngoscope 2000; 110: 156-160 ·back·
8. Summerfield AQ, Marshall DH. Cochlear Implantation in the UK 1990-1994; HMSO Books; 1995 ·back·
9. Summerfield AQ, Marshall DH. Non-use of cochlear implants by post-lingually deafened adults; Cochlear Implants International 2000; 1: 18-38 ·back·
10. Discolo CM, Hirose K. Pediatric cochlear implants; Am J Audiol. 2002 Dec; 11(2): 114-8 ·back·
11. Cohen NL. Cochlear Implant Candidacy and Surgical Considerations; Audiol Neurootol. 2004; 9(4): 197-202. ·back·
12. UK Cochlear Implant Study Group. Criteria of candidacy for unilateral cochlear implantation in post-lingually deafened adults: cost-effectiveness analysis; Ear & Hearing 2004; 25: 336-360 ·back·

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 Deafness Research UK reaffirms benefits of cochlear implants