Quality control in cochlear implant therapy: clinical practice guidelines and registries in European countries

Abstract

Purpose The treatment with a cochlear implant (CI) is the gold standard in therapy of patients with profound hearing loss or deafness. Successful hearing rehabilitation with a CI is a complex, multi-stage process. In medicine, “Clinical Practice Guidelines” (CPG) are widely accepted for the standardization of such processes. These are supplemented by medical registries in which data regarding the treatment can be collected and evaluated. The aim of this paper is to identify currently existing CI-related CPGs and registries in Europe. Methods Between 01/2021 and 06/2021, 42 countries on the European continent, including the United Kingdom, Russia and Turkey, were screened using an internet search (search engine: Google) and a key word search in the Pubmed database. Search terms were the respective country name combined with the following terms: “Cochlear Implant”, “CI”, “Cochlear implant clinical practice guideline”, “CI Guideline”, “Cochlear Implant Registry”, “CI Registry”, “Ear nose throat society”. The internet search was conducted in English as well as in the corresponding national language. The objective was to identify a CI-related CPG or registry. Results A CPG was found in 16 of 42 (38%) countries. In terms of population, this accounts for 645 million out of 838 million people (77%). A registry existed in 4 of the 42 (10%) countries assessed. This corresponds to 102 million out of 838 million (12%) people. In total, 4 out of 42 countries (10%) had both a CPG and a registry. Conclusion Our work shows numerous efforts in Europe to standardize CI care at the national level. While most people in Europe already live in countries with a CPG, this is not the case for CI registries. European-wide consensus on CPGs or registries does not yet exist. The present study thus provides a first assessment of the distribution of CI-related CPGs and registries.

Conception and implementation of a certification system for quality control of cochlear implant treatment in Germany

“…In a recently published study, a very heterogeneous picture could be derived for Europe with regard to the establishment of CPGs and registries. At the time of the study, national CPGs for CI care existed in only 16 of 42 countries [ 17 ]. However, the establishment of national CPGs is a mandatory prerequisite for the meaningful establishment of quality control measures with the help of certification.…”

Cochlear Implantation in Children With Hearing Impairment

“…The treatment with a cochlear implant is the gold standard in therapy of patients with profound hearing loss or deafness and the medical indications for this treatment has continuously been broadened (Loth et al, 2022). The indication for cochlear implantation in children is bilateral sensorineural hearing loss > 80 dB determined on the basis of hearing tests, after approx-imately 6-month rehabilitation with the use of hearing aids.…”

“…In terms of the population of Europe, close to 80% of people live in countries where a CPG already exists. Macedonia was noted as a country without CPG and CI Registry (Loth et al, 2022).…”

Strategies for the implementation of the living guidelines for cochlear implantation in adults

“…In 2020, an international group of clinical hearing loss experts highlighted that while cochlear implantation should be standard of care in adults with SPSNHL, it is underutilized as a treatment option, suggesting there is an urgent need to address the lack of globally consistent CI guidelines ( 2 , 5 ).…”