PurposeHearing loss is a major health problem and is associated with several negative outcomes such as difficulties in communicating and poor quality of life. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review to evaluate the impact of different types of hearing rehabilitation after hearing loss and their impact on quality of life.MethodsA systematic literature search was conducted on Pubmed which retrieved 549 articles. Of these, 29 articles regarding cochlear implants, bone anchored hearing devices and traditional amplification hearing aids have been systematically reviewed. The search was limited to articles published from 1960/01/01 to 2017/05/22, included human participants and available in English.ResultsThe main finding was that hearing rehabilitation is beneficial in all types of hearing loss and treatment regarding quality of life. However, bone-anchored hearing devices and cochlear implants were shown to produce greater improvements in terms of quality of life than conventional hearing aids.ConclusionFrom these findings, we concluded that hearing rehabilitation does have a positive impact on quality of life after hearing loss.

Background and Aims There are growing concerns over the respiratory health of people who use illicit opioids due to high rates of opioid inhalation and tobacco smoking in this group. This study aimed to summarize the evidence relating illicit opioid use with poor respiratory health. Methods A systematic review of the literature on the association between illicit opioid use and respiratory health was undertaken in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidance (PROSPERO ID = CRD42017059953). Electronic searches of MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library databases were undertaken (English language, published January 1980-November 2018). All study designs excluding case studies were considered. Studies were undertaken in community and hospital settings in the United States (n = 23), United Kingdom (n = 7), Australia (n = 7), the Netherlands (n = 2), Canada (n = 2), Ireland (n = 1), Spain (n = 1) and Iran (n = 1). Measurements of respiratory disease, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and related symptoms were extracted. Data on respiratory-related deaths and hospital admissions were also extracted. Meta-analysis of prevalence data was undertaken using a random effects meta-analysis model with parameters estimated using Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation. Results Meta-analyses estimated prevalence of asthma in people who inject illicit opioids as 8.5% [95% predictive interval (PrI) = 0.2%, 74.0%] and as 20.2% (95% PrI = 4.2%, 59.2%) in people who inhale illicit opioids. Prevalence of COPD in people who inject illicit opioids was estimated as 2.7% (95% PrI = 0.0%, 50.4%) and as 17.9% (95% PrI = 0.6%, 89.5%) in people who inhale illicit opioids. There was evidence of moderate to extreme heterogeneity across studies. Conclusions There is evidence of increased burden of respiratory diseases in people who use illicit opioids. Due to the heterogeneity of study design and samples, it is difficult to gain accurate estimates of the prevalence of respiratory disease in this population.

Most of the studies suggest that HL is associated with reduced generic QoL. Using HA seems to improve general QoL. Further research is needed to explore the relationship between HL and generic QoL, in addition to the importance of influencing variables on this relationship.