The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely freedom from disease [...]". Based on this definition of health and the WHO definition of Quality of Life (QOL), a new questionnaire was developed to assess the quality of life in hearing loss in various everyday situations: the Hearing Loss Quality of Life (HL-QOL) questionnaire.
84 patients completed the HL-QOL questionnaire for validation purposes. The questionnaire consists of 23 items on a seven-point Likert scale (always (>95%) to never (≤5%)). Items' characteristic values were assessed; reliability was determined using internal consistency (Cronbach's α). Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the factor structure of the questionnaire. Test-retest reliability was tested in 63 subjects. Criterion validity was tested with the Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ). In addition, the correlation between age at implantation and duration of hearing loss was tested with the HL-QOL total score.
The results confirm the HL-QOL as a valid and reliable instrument to assess perceived quality of life for German-speaker with a hearing implant. Its general clinical applicability will still be evaluated in further studies.

Hearing loss Quality of Life” questionnaire validation

It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm, that on behalf of the Cochlear Implant centers of the Radboud UMC in Nijmegen and Erasmus MC Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam to invite you to attend the 16th European Symposium on Pediatric Cochlear Implantation to Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 2023.

Yours sincerely, on behalf of the CI Centers at Radboud UMC and Erasmus MC,