Comparing outcomes for severely and profoundly deaf children (CUSP) v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Comparative outcomes for children with and without access to cochlear implantation
IRAS ID
261824
Contact name
Catherine Killan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
BTHFT 2335, Local Project Reference (Bradford Royal Infirmary)
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 30 days
Research summary
Research Question: How do severely deaf children using hearing aids hear compared to children using cochlear implants?
Deafness can affect children’s listening, language, social lives, mental health, and job prospects, so the NHS offers devices to improve their hearing. Hearing aids work by making sounds louder, and cochlear implants work by sending electric signals to the hearing nerve. Once a child has had a cochlear implant operation, they can’t go back to using a hearing aid.
We don’t know exactly which children would hear better with cochlear implants than with hearing aids. Until recently, the guidance in England and Wales was very strict and people felt some children were missing out by not being able to get cochlear implants. In March 2019 the guidance became much less strict. Now the main concern is to make sure we only offer cochlear implants to the children who really need them.
This project will help by comparing the listening abilities of severely deaf children using hearing aids to children who use cochlear implants.
1. We will find out from hospital records how many severely deaf children there are using hearing aids, and find similar children using cochlear implants.
2. We will send a survey to their parents. This survey will ask about children’s listening, communication, and quality of life. It will also ask what parents think about hearing aids and cochlear implants.
3. With consent, we will find more detailed information from children’s hospital notes, to help us understand their medical history.
4. We will invite some children to visit the University of Nottingham or Bradford Royal Infirmary, for children to do hearing tests and questionnaires.The results will be useful for healthcare workers who care for deaf children, to parents, and to policy makers who decide which children need cochlear implants.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/EM/0302
Date of REC Opinion
24 Oct 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion