The COCHLEA: A New Functional Outcome Measure for Pediatric Cochlear Implant Patients

Problem: Pediatric cochlear implant recipients have been historically assessed postoperatively with audiometric testing in a soundproof booth by trained audiologists. Assessment of functional outcome after cochlear implantation must also consider a number of other factors including speech perception, speech intelligibility, mode of communication, educational placement, as well as the social and psychological factors that affect one’s ability to function in the mainstream environment. No uniform tool for assessing effective functional outcome in the daily life of pediatric cochlear implant recipients has been developed. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, the COCHLEA (Children’s Outcome for Cochlear Implant Hearing, Language, and Environmental Assessment) questionnaire, designed to measure functional outcomes in the pediatric cochlear implant population, was administered. The questionnaire was tested for reliability and validity, while investigating for any possible respondent or administrative burden. The parents of children with cochlear implants completed the questionnaire. The subjects were individuals with nonsyndromic sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) implanted at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center before 12/31/2001, aged 3–12 years. Implantation must have occurred before age 7. Non-English-speaking children/families were excluded secondary to a lack of resources. Results: Thirty-one patients were enrolled in the study. Preliminary results indicate that absolute scores of this outcome measure correlate with higher global health measures, including the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ), and predict better audiometric scores. Conclusion: The COCHLEA functional outcome measure appears to be a reliable and valid method for assessing effective cochlear implantation. More research is necessary to determine this questionnaire’s sensitivity to longitudinal change. Significance: The COCHLEA questionnaire represents the first disease-specific functional outcome measure for the pediatric cochlear implant patient population. Ultimately it may be used to compare the effectiveness of cochlear implants and rehabilitation strategies. Support: None reported.