Quality-of-life outcomes for adult cochlear implant recipients in New Zealand.

AIM: There were two aims to this study: to investigate the effect of a cochlear implant (CI) on quality-of-life (QOL) for adult recipients in New Zealand; and to determine which aspects of life that these changes are most noticed.

METHOD: There were two groups of participants: CI Group - 94 postlingually deafened adult CI recipients; and WL group - 70 postlingually deafened adults on the waiting list (WL) for a CI. Two questionnaires were developed for this study.

RESULTS

The results showed that cochlear implantation had a significant positive impact on QOL for recipients. The CI group had significantly higher ratings in all areas of QOL and satisfaction compared to the WL group.

CONCLUSION

Overall, high QOL and satisfaction ratings were obtained from CI recipients. The significantly lower ratings from those on the WL for an implant highlight the difficulties experienced by those with a significant hearing impairment. Assessment of CI outcomes should include QOL measures in order to provide a more holistic picture.