Post-operative patient perception of decisional regret in cochlear implant recipients

Article in CI Journal

---

Post-operative patient perception of decisional regret in cochlear implant recipients

Sandra Prentiss, Hillary Snapp, Kevin J. Sykes, Molly Smeal, Alicia Restrepo & Hinrich Staecker

Abstract

Importance
Decision regret post-surgery has has been linked to health outcomes for a number of elective procedures but is understudied in cochlear implantation satisfaction. Theunpredictability in outcomes may lead to unmet expectations by the recipient. This study is the first study to investigate the decision regret concept in cochlear implant recipients.

Objective
To investigate post-operative decision regret in (CI) recipients.

Design
This was a prospective cohort study using the validated Ottawa Decision Regret Scale, and whether the CI met the patient’s expectations. Variables potentially associated with decision regret including patient demographics, post-operative speech perception scores, duration of deafness, duration of CI use and age were analyzed using the logistic regression model.

Setting
This was a multi-center study. Participants were recruited and enrolled from the University of Miami and the University of Kansas in an outpatient setting.

Participants
Adult, English-speaking CI recipients with at least 6 months of listening experience with their implant.

Results
Out of 173 58% reported no regret, 27% reported mild, and 15% reported moderate-to-strong regret. Expectations were met in 77% while not meeting expectations in 14%. The remaining 8% were neutral. Decisional regret was significantly associated (p = 0.02) with poor post-operative speech perception. No other variables were associated with regret.

Conclusions
Post-operative decision regret was reported by 42% of CI recipients. Poor speech perception abilities were associated with increased risk of regret. Further research is required to identify regret risks and provide resources to mitigate regret in CI recipients.

To read the full article, log in to the Members' Area and click on the CI Journal box!