Table 7:
Subjective Benefits of Hearing—Adults
| Author, Year | Test Measures | UCI | BCI | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randomized Controlled Trials | ||||
| Smulders et al, 201662; van Zon et al, 201763 | SSQa | 12 months: BCI better than UCIb | < .05 | |
| SSQ speecha | 24 months: 3.1 (1.7–8.3) | 24 months: 5.9 (2.2–8.8) | . 01 | |
| SSQ spatiala | 24 months: 2.4 (5.0–7.3) | 24 months: 6.6 (2.9–8.1) | < .05 | |
| SSQ qualitiesa | 24 months: 4.4 (3.6–10.3) | 24 months: 6.1 (3.7–8.5) | NS | |
| VAS hearingc | 12 months: BCI better than UCIb | < .05 | ||
| 24 months: 65.5 (0.0–94.0) | 75.0 (40.0–90.0) | NS | ||
| Summerfield et al, 200664 | SSQ speecha | Significantly higher scores with BCI than UCI (own control) at 3 and 9 monthsb | < .05 | |
| SSQ spatiala | Significantly higher scores with BCI than UCI (own control, wait list control) at 3 and 9 monthsb | < .01 | ||
| SSQ qualitiesa | Significantly higher scores with BCI than UCI (own control, wait list control) at 9 monthsb | < .01 | ||
| Observational Studies | ||||
| Harkonen et al, 201565 | SSQ,a mean ± SD |
6 months Speech: 5.7 ± 1.3 Spatial: 3.0 ± 1.5 Quality: 6.7 ± 1.3 |
6 months Speech: 6.7 ± 1.5 Spatial: 5.2 ± 1.7 Quality: 7.1 ± 1.0 |
< .01 < .01 < .05 |
|
12 months Speech: 6.3 ± 1.4 Spatial: 5.2 ± 1.7 Quality: 7.1 ± 1.0 |
< .01 < .01 < .01 |
|||
| Litovsky et al, 200666 | APHAB test,d mean | More favourable perceived performance with BCI vs. UCI in ease of communication, background noise, and reverberant listening conditions subscalesb | < .001 | |
| No significant difference in perceived performance between BCI and UCI in aversiveness to sounds subscaleb | NS | |||
| Olze et al, 201268 | OI,e mean ± SD | 3.13 ± 0.84 | 3.70 ± 0.65 | < .001 |
| Reeder et al, 201470 | SSQ speech,a mean | Increased 2.05 from UCI to BCI at 9–12 monthsb | NR | |
| SSQ spatial,a mean | Increased 2.87 from UCI to BCI at 9–12 monthsb | NR | ||
| SSQ quality,a mean | Increased 1.79 from UCI to BCI at 9–12 monthsb | NR | ||
Abbreviations: APHAB, Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit; BCI, bilateral cochlear implantation; NR, not reported; NS, not significant; OI, Oldenburg Inventory; SD, standard deviation; SSQ, Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing scale; UCI, unilateral cochlear implantation; VAS, visual analog scale.
The Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing questionnaire consists of 40 questions. It subjectively rates hearing disability to reflect the individual's perception of functioning in real-world situations. The speech domain assesses speech recognition in a variety of sound environments. The spatial domain assesses sound direction, distance, and movement. The quality domain assesses segregation of sounds, naturalness, and listening effort. The questionnaire has a scoring system of 0 to 10 for each item: 0 represents minimal hearing ability, and 10 represents complete hearing ability.75
Results presented in figures. Numeric data unavailable.
The visual analog scale consists of two 10 cm scales on which patients rate their hearing and health from 0 (really bad) to 100 (perfect).
The Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit test quantifies the disability associated with hearing loss and the reduction of disability by hearing aids using four subscales: ease of communication, reverberation, background noise, and aversiveness.76
The Oldenburg Inventory consists of 12 questions about different standard listening situations in three domains (hearing in noise, hearing in quiet, and localization). The response choices “always,” “often,” “rare,” “sometimes,” and “never” are scored from 1 to 5. The higher the total score, the better the hearing.68