Cochlear implantation (CI) is a highly effective intervention for adults with severe-to-profound hearing loss, yet uptake across the United Kingdom remains low despite clear National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE 2019) guidance and well-established clinical benefits....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
No actionable change yet — this is a study protocol; findings from CIRCA-2 may later inform referral criteria and pathways for cochlear implant candidates in the UK and potentially other countries.
Inconsistent cochlear implant referral practices may mean that many eligible adults with severe-to-profound hearing loss are not accessing potentially life-changing technology, making this audit nationally significant.
- 01CIRCA-2 is a repeat national multicenter retrospective study of cochlear implant referral patterns in UK adults.
- 02Target population is adults with severe-to-profound hearing loss who may be eligible for cochlear implants.
- 03The protocol paper describes study design; no results are yet available.
- 04Study aims to identify gaps, inequities, or inconsistencies in referral pathways across UK centers.
- 05Findings could inform national guidelines and commissioning decisions for cochlear implant services.
Cochlear implant referral patterns for adults with severe-to-profound hearing loss in the UK are inconsistent across centers.
unknownunclear- PMID
- 42868242
- DOI
- 10.2196/94888.
- Journal
- JMIR Research Protocols
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Adults with severe-to-profound hearing loss in the United Kingdom
- Intervention
- Cochlear implant referral pathways and patterns
- Comparator
- Prior CIRCA-1 national referral data
Primary outcomes
Cochlear implant referral rates across UK centers; Equity and consistency of referral practices for eligible adults