Objectives:  To assess the patient-reported quality of life (QoL) and quality of hearing before hearing implant first fitting (FF), and after 6- and 12-months of use.
Methods: The Health Utility Index (HUI3) and the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ12) were administered to individuals who received a MED-EL CI, BONEBRIDGE, or VIBRANT SOUNDBRIDGE. The Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ) was only completed by cochlear implant (CI) subjects. The questionnaires were administered at all three test intervals (before FF and after 6- and 12-months after FF). Additionally, the subjects’ satisfaction with their audio processor was recorded at the 6- and 12-month test intervals using the Audio Processor Satisfaction Questionnaire (APSQ).
Results: Data analyses of up to 110 CI and 59 VIBRANT recipients showed that upon activation QoL and quality of hearing increased compared to pre-activation in all measures.
In the SSQ12 the Friedman test showed that at the 6-months the improvement was significant for the total score and for the subscales for both CI and VIBRANT users. These results were confirmed by the pairwise comparisons: Wilcoxon signed-rank test total score pre-activation to 6-months was <0.001 for both the CI and the VIBRANT group.
From the HUI3 data, the multi-attribute scores were calculated, and a clinically relevant improvement was found for both CI and VIBRANT subjects; Friedman test revealed a significant improvement (p<0.001) in both the CI group and the VIBRANT group while the pairwise comparisons (Wilcoxon signed-rank test) showed a significant improvement from pre-activation to 6-months post-activation for both groups (p< 0.001).
NCIQ scores improved significantly from the baseline visit in all 6 subscales (all p<0 .001).
In the APSQ, a highly level of satisfaction with audio processors was detected (4.2 vs 4.1, CI vs VIBRANT users). A significant difference between the 6- and the 12-months study visit on the Wearing comfort subscale (p=0.018) was measured.
Conclusion: QoL and quality of hearing increased upon device activation and up to 12-months of device use. Overall, these results suggest the importance of hearing implant provision on users’ lives beyond simply an increase in speech understanding.

**Objectives:**  To assess the patient-reported quality of life (QoL) and quality of hearing before hearing implant first fitting (FF), and after 6- and 12-months of use.
**Methods:** The Health Utility Index (HUI3) and the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ12) were administered to individuals who received a MED-EL CI, BONEBRIDGE, or VIBRANT SOUNDBRIDGE. The Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ) was only completed by cochlear implant (CI) subjects. The questionnaires were administered at all three test intervals (before FF and after 6- and 12-months after FF). Additionally, the subjects’ satisfaction with their audio processor was recorded at the 6- and 12-month test intervals using the Audio Processor Satisfaction Questionnaire (APSQ).
**Results:** Data analyses of up to 110 CI and 59 VIBRANT recipients showed that upon activation QoL and quality of hearing increased compared to pre-activation in all measures.
In the SSQ12 the Friedman test showed that at the 6-months the improvement was significant for the total score and for the subscales for both CI and VIBRANT users. These results were confirmed by the pairwise comparisons: Wilcoxon signed-rank test total score pre-activation to 6-months was <0.001 for both the CI and the VIBRANT group.
From the HUI3 data, the multi-attribute scores were calculated, and a clinically relevant improvement was found for both CI and VIBRANT subjects; Friedman test revealed a significant improvement (p<0.001) in both the CI group and the VIBRANT group while the pairwise comparisons (Wilcoxon signed-rank test) showed a significant improvement from pre-activation to 6-months post-activation for both groups (p< 0.001).
NCIQ scores improved significantly from the baseline visit in all 6 subscales (all p<0 .001).
In the APSQ, a highly level of satisfaction with audio processors was detected (4.2 vs 4.1, CI vs VIBRANT users). A significant difference between the 6- and the 12-months study visit on the Wearing comfort subscale (p=0.018) was measured.
**Conclusion**: QoL and quality of hearing increased upon device activation and up to 12-months of device use. Overall, these results suggest the importance of hearing implant provision on users’ lives beyond simply an increase in speech understanding.

Measuring longitudinal changes in Quality of Life in hearing implant users

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,