CIICA News Public Resources

Cochlear Implants and Deafness: A Global Case Study to increase policy awareness and action on an under-resourced health issue.

We are delighted to share with you that a study of the development of CIICA (Cochlear Implant International Community of Action) as an international health network has been published by the International Journal of Audiology (IJA) at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14992027.2023.2231634(Paywall). The paper places the development of CIICA in the context of other health networks and provides some lessons to be learned in how to establish health networks. It also reviews the research with users of CI and other stakeholders which led to CIICA’s establishment, develops some general learning about best practices in advocacy and provides evidence of the early impact of CIICA as a health network.

Many of you have taken part in either the research or our activities and we at CIICA are really grateful for your support, without which the establishment of this growing network in over 60 countries would not have taken place.

The IJA is an internationally respected journal and this will help spread the news of CIICA’s work and impact even more widely.

We would of course like you to promote the paper via the public (paywall) link. With many thanks again for all your support for CIICA, and we look forward to our future developments

Patient advocates in this field are the best conveyors of messages around the impact and severity of not addressing hearing loss and the benefits of taking action. From a public health perspective messaging about access to communication and the right to be able to hear resonates well within a human rights framework and offers an important basis for network development and building coalitions between groups with different circumstances.

Lamb, B, Visiting Professor, University of Derby, UK (Corresponding Author). brian.publicaffairs@gmail.com

Archbold S, CIICA, UK. sue.archbold@outlook.com

Zheng Yen Ng, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. zhengyen.ng@uq.net.au

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CIICA News Public Resources

Quality standards for Rehabilitation in Children with CI

Leo De Raeve was one of the leading authors of a recent published article on “Quality Standard for Rehabilitation of Young Deaf Children Receiving Cochlear Implants”.

It is one of the outcomes of the European KA202 Erasmus+ project ‘VOICE’, Ref. No.: 2020-1-RO01-KA202-080059.
The article has been published recently in ‘Medicina’ as part of a Special Issue on ‘Current Trends in Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Pathology’ and is available online:
Website: https://lnkd.in/djBSDVe4
PDF Version: https://lnkd.in/dVyJcxbD

You can also download the Quality Standards for rehabilitation of young deaf children receiving CI’s from the project website:https://lnkd.in/dBuri3qA . At this website you can also download a handbook for therapists, you can follow an e-training course on rehab and there is a lot of information available for parents.

It is essential that we think about the rehabilitation needs of young deaf children with CI. You can also download the CIICA resource about Deaf Children with CI. 01027_CIICA CHILDRENS BRIEFING_4PP

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CIICA News Public Resources

LAUNCH OF THE ADULT LIVING GUIDELINES!

Download CIICA’s summary of the Living Guidelines and use them for your advocacy activities.

Less than 1 in 10 of those who are deaf and could benefit from a cochlear implant (CI) have access globally. CIICA was delighted that our Chair Leo De Raeve was Co-Chair of The Task Force and to provide the CI user and family voice to the Living Guidelines Project through our Conversations. The project has developed evidence based living practice guidelines that can be adapted and adopted in country, in order to optimise the lifelong care for adults eligible for CI. These guidelines have been painstakingly developed through a systematic review by a dedicated team of researchers, audiologists, clinicians, and cochlear implant users, bridging the gaps between cutting-edge science, real-world application, and the lived experiences of CI users.

It is hoped the Living Guidelines for adult cochlear implantation will help at addressing the needs of adults experiencing hearing loss and provide a comprehensive roadmap towards cochlear implantation. Download the full Recommendations here – PDF

The Recommendations and Good Practice Statements

Hearing, Screening and Assessment
Referral (for hearing healthcare evaluation/management)
Specialist Evaluation
Surgery
Rehabilitation
Patient Outcomes and Measures

You can find more about the process of development and the complete Recommendations at https://adulthearing.com/standards-of-care/

Lee Schoushkoff, CEO of the Pindrop Foundation says, “As we continue championing hearing restoration advancements, the Living Guidelines for Adult Cochlear Implantation will be a vital resource in helping to address the crucial and significant unmet need in adults who are potential candidates for cochlear implants. We hope the Living Guidelines will pave the way for better knowledge dissemination, informed decision-making, and streamlined implantation procedures, ultimately promoting healthier, more fulfilling lives for adults experiencing hearing loss.”

Leo De Raeve, Chair of the Cochlear Implant International Community of Action (CIICA) and Co-Chair of The Task Force says, “The Living Guidelines are essential in advocacy work for cochlear implants in adults. They were developed through a systematic literature review and the involvement of users and families through CIICA. The Living Guidelines are essential to increase awareness, access, provision, outcomes, and lifelong aftercare and can be seen as a guide for advocacy to improve the experience and usefulness of cochlear implants for adults. I was delighted for CIICA to be involved in the project and look forward to using them globally to change CI services.”

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CIICA News Public Resources

Nordic Declaration on Adult Cochlear Implantation

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is nordic.png

On World Hearing Day, 2022 we are delighted to share the Nordic Declaration on Adult Cochlear implantation : IMPROVING ACCESS TO COCHLEAR IMPLANTS FOR ADULTS.

Only one in ten have access to life-changing cochlear implantation.

Patient organisations in all Nordic countries want to change this and have therefore joined forces to formulate a declaration to be used to politicians and other key stakeholders.

This declaration focuses on adults over 18 years with severe to profound hearing loss, of over 65dB⁷:

All adults with severe to profound hearing loss should be eligible to be evaluated for CI’s.

Professionals who see those with Hearing Loss must have up to date information and guidelines for when and how to refer patients to CI teams.

For adults eligible for CI’s, access to assessment and treatment should be provided without any unnecessary delay.

Established indications and guidelines should be matched with adequate resources and funding.

Adults with severe to profound hearing loss should get access to optimal hearing care in both ears, including bilateral implants.

CI is a lifelong treatment.
- For the severe to profound hearing-impaired every technology improvement counts. Hence regularly updating to the latest technology is required, with a minimum replacement every five years.
- Consumables such as batteries, coils, remote controls, swimming kit for CIs, activation of telecoil, BT/streamers and microphone filters should be funded

As a long-term goal adult screening should be introduced routinely from the age of 50 years as per the WHO recommendations for adult screening: (WHO, Hearing Screening handbook, 2021).

By accepting and committing to the declaration, the Nordic region will be set to lead the world in providing comprehensive, sensible and fair cochlear implant provision for adults. Cochlear implants are life-changing sound investments, restoring good hearing to most severely and profoundly deaf adults who strive to hear, comments Robert Mandara, VP EURO-CIU, Finland
DOWN LOAD FILE HERE:

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CIICA News Public Resources

Anniversary of the International Consensus Statements!

The Anniversary of the publication of the International Consensus Statements on Adult Cochlear Implantation is marked by the publication of Landmark – 12months on. There has been an amazing amount of activity to share that has taken place globally – raising the issue of adult CI during what has been a challenging time globally. Read the fascinating and encouraging summary of the activity of which CIICA has been a part….ICP 12 months in review (flippingbook.com)

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