Global guidelines on standards of care for adult cochlear implantation 

The first global Guidelines on Standards of Care for Adult Cochlear Implantation were published in the Journal of The American Medical Association in August 2020. These guidelines are an important tool for advocacy because they  give a common framework for the development of Adult Cochlear Implant provision and practice that can be used globally. This guide provides a summary of the 20 consensus statements which were developed and gives suggestions for how they can be used in advocacy work to promote provision for adult implantation  in your own country or area.

Following the consensus process which developed the guidelines there was a desire amongst patient and advocacy groups to work closely together on developing the awareness  of the benefits of adult cochlear implantation and improving provision. This EUROCIU briefing about the consensus statements is developed with CIICA, the Cochlear Implant International Community of Action.

Using the Consensus Document to support advocacy work for CI provision 

The Consensus statements are important in providing an evidence base for cochlear implantation as the standard of care for people with severe or profound hearing loss . They describe what the minimum of good practice should be in some of the key areas and can help to improve information about adult cochlear implantation. If you wish, you can print out the guidelines on A4 sheets, or you can print them out on two sides of A4 and fold to A5 to make easily readable. 

You could use these guidelines

• To raise CI awareness and the importance of establishing Standards of Care for adults:
  
• To promote the guidelines with your local health system providers, primary care services, audiology clinics and related services. Ask them to do what they can to improve knowledge and access to cochlear implantation within their services.
• To promote awareness by doctors and audiologists of the need for earlier  referral for assessment by a qualified CI specialist. 
• To ask national and regional professional associations that represent doctors and audiologists to consider whether their members need more information about cochlear implants and whether their guidelines need up-dating.
• To give greater understanding of the benefits of CI and their cost effectiveness  by  Government and funding bodies responsible for health related policies
• To encourage debates in national or local political forums on adopting the guidelines as part of national strategies on hearing loss, to make sure CI included
• To use the guidelines to raise the profile of hearing loss and CI through the media
• To promote the guidelines and the need for Standards of Care for CI in international and national health policy forums and conferences
• To stimulate thinking about issues that may be addressed in future statements-for example the importance of government funding for rehabilitation and life-long aftercare including technology upgrades and  bilateral implants fo adults.
  

The life changing technology of cochlear implantation for adults  is under used across the world. Using these evidence based statements can support your advocacy work to ensure that more people who could benefit have access to cochlear implantation: changing lives and saving society money.