An Assessment of Parents' Decision-Making Regarding Paediatric Cochlear Implants

Parents of children with severe to profound hearing loss have to make a number of fundamental decisions for their children. These decisions include communication and amplification options. In particular, the parents must decide whether and when their child will receive cochlear implants, and whether these will be implanted unilaterally or bilaterally. The objective of this study was to describe the decision-making needs of parents making the cochlear implant decision for their children. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight parents and eight cochlear implant team members at a Canadian cochlear implant centre to document parental and clinician recollections and opinions of the decision-making process related to a unilateral or bilateral cochlear implantation. The results demonstrated that the decision to go ahead with a cochlear implantation was consistently based on the parents' preferences for spoken communication for their children. Parents reported satisfaction with the cochlear implant decision-making process. Two of eight parents felt that additional information on unilateral cochlear implantation risks and benefits should have been provided. Four of eight parents described how more information on the experiences of other families would have been helpful for their decision. Parental and clinical perceptions of the bilateral implantation decision were highly variable. All parents stated that additional information on bilateral cochlear implantation was needed. Based on the results of the interviews, it is concluded that there is a need for information and resources for bilateral cochlear implantation decision-making. Adapted from the source document