Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Date Created

8-1-2023

Abstract

Despite being an available hearing treatment option for several decades, there is still an underutilization of cochlear implants within the population of adults with hearing loss that would meet candidacy criteria. Only 8% of people that are cochlear implant candidates utilize cochlear implants. Thus, it is important to examine why underutilization occurs and how to solve the problem. The current doctoral scholarly project aims to educate health care professionals, with targeted audiences of hearing instrument specialists and primary care practitioners, on cochlear implants, outcomes, and candidacy. Narrated PowerPoint presentation videos were created as a way to educate health care professionals on cochlear implants. Sharing presentations such as these could be one way that an audiologist could educate local health care practitioners to boost cochlear implant candidacy referral rates in his/her area. This would also lead to an increase in use of implantable hearing solutions in adult populations that could stand to benefit tremendously from this technology.

Keywords

Cochlear implant; referral rates; educating; health care professionals; implantable hearing solutions; standard cochlear implant; hybrid cochlear implant; underutilization

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