OBJECTIVES: To identify barriers that audiologists face in adopting telemedicine in adult cochlear implant care, and to determine what is needed to overcome these barriers.
Audiology teams planning to expand telehealth for cochlear implant care should proactively identify the specific barriers highlighted in this study (training gaps, technology access, workflow integration) and seek institutional support to address them — a direct, actionable prompt for service redesign.
As telehealth becomes central to audiology service delivery, understanding and dismantling barriers to remote cochlear implant care is critical to expanding access for patients who cannot easily attend in-person appointments.
- 01Qualitative design captures audiologists' lived experiences of telehealth adoption challenges.
- 02Barriers span technology access, training deficits, patient readiness, and institutional support.
- 03Study focuses specifically on adult cochlear implant recipients, a group with high ongoing follow-up needs.
- 04Findings could inform clinical guidelines and workforce training programs for remote CI care.
- 05Support needs identified may guide policy makers and CI manufacturers in developing enabling tools.
Audiologists face identifiable barriers to adopting telemedicine tools for adult cochlear implant care.
studysupportedSpecific forms of support can help audiologists overcome barriers to remote cochlear implant care.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42259770
- DOI
- 10.1080/14670100.2025.2605820.
- Journal
- Cochlear Implants International
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 5
- Population
- Audiologists providing care to adults with cochlear implants
- Intervention
- Qualitative investigation of barriers and enablers to telemedicine adoption for cochlear implant care
Primary outcomes
Barriers to telemedicine adoption identified by audiologists; Support strategies needed to overcome adoption barriers
