ERIC Number: EJ1342534
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Feb
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1092-4388
EISSN: N/A
Clinical Practice Patterns of Fitting Advanced Device Features in Children with Cochlear Implants
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, v65 n2 p797-815 Feb 2022
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify common clinical practice patterns for providing advanced noise management features in children with cochlear implants (CIs) and evaluate trends in consideration of clinician experience and comfort with CI manufacturer-specific technology. Method: A mixed-model survey including quantitative and qualitative questions regarding providing advanced noise management features in the pediatric CI population was collected electronically via research electronic data capture. Survey questions spanned approach/philosophy toward provision of features, age of provision, and demographics of respondents. Descriptive statistics were completed to define common clinical practice patterns and demographic information. Results: A total of 160 pediatric audiologists from 35 U.S. States and five Canadian provinces completed the survey. Most audiologists (73.8%) reported enabling automatic directional microphones, and a vast majority (91%) reported enabling advanced noise processing features such as automatic noise cancellers, wind noise cancellers, and impulse noise cancellers in recipients' main programs. Audiologists ranked features in terms of importance for a school-age child with the top three ranked as automatic noise reduction, automatic directional microphones, and concha-level microphones. Importance of child-specific factors varied depending upon the specific feature of interest. Conclusions: Variability exists among providers in enabling advanced noise management features for pediatric CI recipients. Multiple factors, including patient characteristics, provider characteristics, and limited evidence-based guidance, could account for much of the variation. Overall, there is a trend toward automaticity for noise management. Additional studies are warranted to provide the evidence base for confidently programming advanced features for children using CIs.
Descriptors: Assistive Technology, Pediatrics, Acoustics, Age Differences, Surveys, Audiology, Audio Equipment, Allied Health Personnel, Patients, Evidence Based Practice, Trend Analysis, Hearing Impairments, Participant Characteristics, Cross Cultural Studies, Auditory Perception, Foreign Countries
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: slhr@asha.org; Web site: http://jslhr.pubs.asha.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada; United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A