Shawn Stevens, MD: How is his clinic expanding access for hearing implant patients?

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Shawn Stevens from the Barrow Neurological Institute, a dedicated otolaryngologist who was born in the very hospital where he now operates. Dr. Stevens shares his journey of expanding his reach across the Phoenix market, making implantable hearing solutions accessible to more people in his community. Dr....

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PubMed·Journal article·Cochlear implants·3w ago

Pediatric Cochlear Implant Outcomes in Auditory Neuropathy, Cochlear Nerve Deficiency, and Sensorineural Hearing Loss: An 8-Year Longitudinal Study

Audiologists and implant teams should counsel families that children with cochlear nerve deficiency have significantly poorer long-term cochlear implant outcomes than those with auditory neuropathy or sensorineural hearing loss; pre-implant MRI/CT nerve assessment is critical...

PubMed·Journal article·Cochlear implants·5d ago

Language Learning Activities in Educational Settings Incrementally Predict Language Ability Beyond Daily Conversation in Preschoolers with Cochlear Implants: A Comparative Study with Normal-Hearing Peers

Audiologists and early intervention teams should actively advocate for structured language-learning activities in educational settings for cochlear implant users, as these predict language outcomes above and beyond home conversation alone.

PubMed·Journal article·Cochlear implants·3w ago

Speech Perception Development From Childhood to Adulthood Following Pediatric Cochlear Implantation: A 30-year Longitudinal Study

Long-term follow-up of pediatric cochlear implant recipients shows meaningful variability in speech perception trajectories into adulthood, reinforcing the need for lifelong audiological monitoring rather than discharge at a fixed age.

PubMed·Journal article·Cochlear implants·3w ago

Age-Independent Bilateral Advantage in Quiet Speech Recognition: A Matched Longitudinal Analysis of Adult Cochlear Implant Users

The bilateral cochlear implant advantage for quiet speech recognition is age-independent in adults, supporting consideration of bilateral implantation across the adult age spectrum rather than restricting it to younger patients.

PubMed·Journal article·Cochlear implants·12d ago

The role of perceived competence in remote cochlear implant aftercare: a mixed-methods study

Clinicians offering remote cochlear implant aftercare should assess and actively support patients' sense of competence with digital tools, as low perceived competence may reduce uptake of remote services.

PubMed·Journal article·Cochlear implants·9d ago

Remote programming of cochlear implants: a mixed-methods study of audiologist experiences and patient satisfaction

Audiologists offering cochlear implant programming should monitor this evidence; if patient satisfaction is comparable between remote and in-person sessions, expanding remote programming may be clinically justified and improve access.

PubMed·Journal article·Cochlear implants·2w ago

Auditory Performance Analysis and Evaluation of Quality of Life After Cochlear Implantation in Patients Aged 60 (Sixty) and Older

Cochlear implantation delivers meaningful auditory and quality-of-life gains in patients aged 60+; age alone should not be a barrier to implant candidacy, though pre-operative factors such as duration of deafness and residual speech recognition matter.

PubMed·Journal article·Cochlear implants·6w ago

Benefits of bilateral cochlear implantation in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Bilateral cochlear implantation in children provides superior outcomes over unilateral implantation in speech, language, and spatial hearing; audiologists and cochlear implant teams should advocate for bilateral implantation when candidacy criteria are met.