Evaluating Hearing Loss For Individuals With Cochlear Implants

The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) administers programs that provide disability benefits. Once SSA establishes the presence of a severe impairment, it determines whether the impairment meets the criteria in the Listing of Impairments (Listings) that qualify a candidate for disability benefits. The current Listings that address hearing loss treated with cochlear implantation contain criteria that evaluate hearing ability through a speech recognition test called the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT). Since its development in 1994, the HINT has been widely used to measure cochlear implant candidacy and postoperative outcomes. However, the test characteristics, the state of cochlear implant technology, and the environment that made the HINT a common choice of assessment in 1994 are different in 2021. The HINT has several limitations in its characteristics and deviation from its intended use. At the request of SSA, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a consensus study committee to identify and recommend generalized testing procedures and criteria for evaluating the level of functional hearing ability needed to make a disability determination in adults and children after cochlear implantation. The committee's report, Evaluating Hearing Loss for Individuals with Cochlear Implants, details and supports its findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on published evidence and professional judgment.

Millions of Americans experience some degree of hearing loss. The Social Security Administration (SSA) operates programs that provide cash disability benefits to people with permanent impairments like hearing loss, if they can show that their impairments meet stringent SSA criteria and their earnings are below an SSA threshold. The National Research Council convened an expert committee at the request of the SSA to study the issues related to disability determination for people with hearing loss. This volume is the product of that study. Hearing Loss: Determining Eligibility for Social Security Benefits reviews current knowledge about hearing loss and its measurement and treatment, and provides an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the current processes and criteria. It recommends changes to strengthen the disability determination process and ensure its reliability and fairness. The book addresses criteria for selection of pure tone and speech tests, guidelines for test administration, testing of hearing in noise, special issues related to testing children, and the difficulty of predicting work capacity from clinical hearing test results. It should be useful to audiologists, otolaryngologists, disability advocates, and others who are concerned with people who have hearing loss.

This updated second edition of Cochlear Implant Patient Assessment, Evaluation of Candidacy, Performance, and Outcomes, Second Edition is an instrumental reference for clinicians working with cochlear implant recipients and graduate students in the fields of speech-language pathology and audiology. The content of the text is logically organized, and begins with necessary background information for cochlear implant candidacy and the selection process. Later chapters provide information on assessment of implant candidacy, postoperative assessment of performance over the long term, and possibilities for future research and understanding. Though Cochlear Implant Patient Assessment, Second Edition contains useful information for even the most seasoned clinicians, it will serve an especially important role in the education and training of students and clinicians being introduced to cochlear implant clinical practice. Having an experienced audiologist and speech-language pathologist authoring this work unites the inter-disciplinary nature of this practice. New to the Second Edition: * Up-to-date research guiding candidacy and outcomes assessment—particularly relevant for cases of hearing preservation, determining bilateral CI candidacy, bimodal hearing, and assessment of the nontraditional cochlear implant candidate * Assessment of candidacy and postoperative outcomes for individuals with unilateral deafness * Assessment of non-English-speaking patients * Role of imaging in device selection and postoperative assessment Disclaimer: Please note that ancillary content (such as documents, audio, and video, etc.) may not be included as published in the original print version of this book.

Evidence based practice (EBP) has proponents in all areas of healthcare and was endorsed in a technical report in 2004 and a position statement in 2005 by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Despite this, there is no text on EBP with specific application to audiology. It is particularly important in audiology, where there are various interventions to assist people with hearing impairment and a growing body of research evidence that needs to be appraised by clinicians and researchers. This comprehensive book describes the principles of EBP as they apply to the evaluation of audiologic interventions in children and adults. The reader will learn the process of EBP, as well as gain knowledge on the evidence relating to specific interventions. Evidence Based Practice in Audiology is divided into four sections. The first section describes principles of EBP, including how to evaluate evidence and how to facilitate evidence based decisions with clients. The remaining three sections provide a discussion of the best available evidence about hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other interventions. These three sections contain chapters written by leading international authors who summarize the best available evidence, highlight where further evidence is needed, and recommend how further evidence should be collected and applied in the clinic. The book ends with an appendix that contains recommended measures for the collection of evidence about different audiologic interventions. Evidence Based Practice in Audiology is a highly valued resource for students, researchers, clinical audiologists, other health professionals and policy makers. For students, the book can be used for learning about research methods and about outcomes of interventions for children and adults with hearing impairment. For researchers, the book provides a useful summary of available research on important topics in habilitation and rehabilitation and may assist them to design future research studies. For clinical audiologists, the book can help them understand what evidence is and how this can be applied in clinical practice. Other health professionals who can benefit from this book include ENTs, pediatricians, geriatricians, GPs, nurses, and aged care workers. The book can also guide policy makers and third-party payers in their decisions about allocation of resources. The text is written with sufficient information for readers with different backgrounds and experience and careful attention has been paid to presenting complex information in an easy to understand format. Evidence Based Practice in Audiology is edited by two leading academics in research in audiologic interventions. These editors have a rich clinical experience working with children and adults with hearing impairment and with other health professionals

A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who has a severe or profound hearing loss. A cochlear implant does not cure deafness or hearing impairment, but is a prosthetic substitute which directly stimulates the cochlea. There are over 250,000 users worldwide with 12,000 in the UK. This book is a multidisciplinary guide to cochlear implantation in children and adults with sensorineural hearing loss (where the root cause lies in the inner ear or sensory organ, ie the cochlear and associated organs). Beginning with discussion on the aetiology of hearing loss and assessment of cochlear implant candidacy, the next chapter discusses preoperative cochlear implant imaging. Each of the following sections provides in depth coverage of different types of cochlear implantation and their potential outcomes. The final sections examine miscellaneous topics such as music perception in cochlear implantation, drug eluting electrodes, cost effectiveness, and reliability reporting. Authored by internationally recognised, US-based specialists, the text is further enhanced by clinical and surgical photographs and illustrations. Key points Multidisciplinary guide to cochlear implantation in children and adults Covers different types of cochlear implant and potential outcomes Includes miscellaneous topics such as music perception, drug eluting electrodes, and reliability reporting Internationally recognised, US-based author team

This is a comprehensive multi-author handbook covering all aspects of cochlear implantation, fully updated since its first edition was published in 1991. All aspects of this rapidly developing field are covered, from implant design, speech processing strategies, assessment and rehabilitation of children and adults to future developments. Chapters written by implant users and their parents give fascinating insight into the experience of hearing again with a cochlear implant.

Cochlear Implants: Audiologic Management and Considerations for Implantable Hearing Devices provides comprehensive coverage of the audiological principles and practices pertaining to cochlear implants and other implantable hearing technologies. This is the first and only book that is written specifically for audiologists and that exhaustively addresses the details involved with the assessment and management of cochlear implant technology. Additionally, this book provides a through overview of hybrid cochlear implants, implantable bone conduction hearing technology, middle ear implantable devices, and auditory brainstem implants. Key Features: Each chapter features an abundance of figures supporting the clinical practices and principles discussed in the text and enabling students and clinicians to more easily understand and apply the material to clinical practice.The information is evidence based and whenever possible is supported by up-to-date peer-reviewed research.Provides comprehensive coverage of complex information and sophisticated technology in a manner that is student-friendly and in an easily understandable narrative form.Concepts covered in the narrative text are presented clearly and then reinforced through additional learning aids including case studies and video examples.Full color design with numerous figures and illustrations. Cochlear Implants is the perfect choice for graduate-level courses covering implantable hearing technologies because the book provides a widespread yet intricate description of every implantable hearing technology available for clinical use today. This textbook is an invaluable resource and reference for both audiology graduate students and clinical audiologists who work with implantable hearing devices. Furthermore, this book supplements the evidence-based clinical information provided for a variety of implantable hearing devices with clinical videos demonstrating basic management procedures and practices.