Cochlear implant referral patterns in the UK suggest a postcode lottery with inequitable access for older adults; results of a pilot audit in five Audiology sites
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Authors
Cullington, H.
Dickinson, A. M.
Martinez de Estibariz, U.
Blackaby, J.
Kennedy, L.
McNeill, K.
O'Neill, S.
Issue Date
NYP
Type
Journal Article
Language
eng
Keywords
Audiology , Cochlear implant , audit , referral , severe to profound deafness
Alternative Title
OBJECTIVE: To use a standardised reporting tool to identify potential eligible candidates for cochlear implant (CI) referral and quantify the proportion of adults who had a CI referral discussion after presenting with an audiogram within United Kingdom (UK) audiometric criteria. DESIGN: Retrospective multicentre 6-month audit of Audiology clinic databases. STUDY SAMPLE: A total of 810 adults from five geographically diverse UK Audiology sites. RESULTS: Data were collected in late 2019 after UK CI audiometric candidacy criteria changed; one site collected only 3 months of data. The proportion of potential eligible adults (based only on audiometry) considered for CI referral was 64% (521 out of 810) and varied by site (from 50% to 83%). About 24% of patients (123 out of 521) declined CI referral; this also varied across sites (12-45%). The median age of patients where CI referral was not considered was 80 years - significantly higher than the group where CI referral was considered (73 years). CONCLUSIONS: CI referral is dependent on where adults live, and how old they are. Older adults are significantly less likely to be considered for CI referral by Audiologists. Audiology clinics need more support to empower staff to talk to patients about CI referral.
Description
Citation
Cullington H, Dickinson AM, Martinez de Estibariz U, Blackaby J, Kennedy L, McNeill K, et al. Cochlear implant referral patterns in the UK suggest a postcode lottery with inequitable access for older adults; results of a pilot audit in five Audiology sites. Int J Audiol. 2024:1-6.
Publisher
Taylor and Francis Group
License
© 2024 The Author(s).
Journal
International journal of audiology