Hundreds of more people with severe to profound deafness are expected to be eligible for cochlear implants each year, due to updated NICE guidance on the definition of severe to profound hearing loss. The update comes after a review of the definition of severe to profound deafness which is used to identify if a cochlear implant might be an appropriate treatment option.
The new NICE review can be found here. In essence, the definition of severe to profound hearing loss has been changed to only hearing sounds louder than 80dB HL at 2 or more frequencies without hearing aids, which is a lowering of the previous threshold.
“The appraisal committee listened to stakeholder concerns regarding the eligibility criteria for cochlear implants being out of date. Upon review it was concluded this needed to be updated. “The new eligibility criteria for cochlear implants will ensure that they continue to be available on the NHS to those individuals who will benefit from them the most.” Meindert Boysen, director of the Centre for Technology Evaluation
It will mean that hundreds of adults and children will now be within the eligibility category for cochlear implantation.Like us on Facebook by clicking on the button below to keep appraised of the latest news.
