Background The outcome of cochlear implant (CI) fitting is currently assessed by audiometric parameters and quality of life (QoL). So far, there are no studies evaluating the ability to work of hearing impaired patients after CI fitting. Since work ability can be assumed to be multifactorial, physical and mental health and their interaction must be assessed in addition to hearing status.

Hintergrund Das Ergebnis einer Cochlea-Implantat (CI) Versorgung wird derzeit anhand audiometrischer Parameter sowie der Lebensqualität (LQ) festgemacht. Bislang existieren keine Studien, welche die Arbeitsfähigkeit (AF) schwerhöriger Patienten nach einer CI-Versorgung bewerten. Da von einer multifaktoriellen Beeinflussung der AF auszugehen ist, ist hierbei neben dem Hörstatus auch die physische und psychische Gesundheit und deren Interaktion zu beurteilen.

PURPOSE:This study evaluates the effect of cochlear implantation (CI) on work ability. The influences of quality of life (QOL), age, mental health, and hearing were analyzed. METHODS:Seventy-nine patients undergoing CI surgery were evaluated preoperatively and 12 months postoperatively. Work ability was evaluated using the Work Ability Index (WAI). QOL was assessed with the Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ) and the WHOQOL-BREF. Mental health was assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire. RESULTS:The WAI was unaffected by CI (Δ 0.8 ± 6.8, p = 0.42). No significant changes in WAI were observed for employees (Δ - 1.1 ± 5.7, p = 0.25) and pensioners (Δ -0.4 ± 7.8, p = 0.73). Patients without elevated depressiveness, stress, or somatoform symptoms had significantly better WAI.The multiple regression analyses show that WHOQOL-BREF (ß = 0.49, p ≤ 0.001), age (ß = -0.34, p ≤ 0.001), and depressiveness (ß = 0.33, p = 0.04) were significantly associated with WAI. In the employee group, the NCIQ (ß = 0.58, p = 0.008) had the strongest association with the WAI. CONCLUSION:Age, mental health, and QOL are predictive factors for work ability. This should be considered in the consultation and the rehabilitation process.

Zielsetzung Im Zuge der Entwicklung einer evidenzbasierten Medizin ist die Analyse patientenbezogener Faktoren, die sich auf Behandlungsergebnisse auswirken, notwendig. Ziel war es für die Cochlea-Implantat (CI)-Versorgung Patientenmerkmale zu identifizieren, welche sich auf das Outcome auswirken, um eine umsichtigere Beratung zu ermöglichen.

Objective In the course of developing evidence-based medicine, analysis of patient-related factors that affect treatment outcomes is necessary. The objective was to identify for cochlear implant (CI) care patient characteristics that affect outcome to enable more prudent counseling.

This study aimed to determine whether preoperative depressiveness, stress, and personality influence quality of life (QOL) after cochlear implant (CI) surgery. In this prospective study, 79 patients undergoing CI surgery were evaluated preoperatively and 12 months postoperatively. Disease-specific QOL was assessed with the Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ) and general QOL with the WHOQOL-BREF. Depressiveness and stress were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-D). The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was used to classify comorbidities. The Big Five Personality Test (B5T) was used to assess the basic personality dimensions. Speech comprehension was evaluated in quiet with the Freiburg monosyllable test and in noise with the Oldenburg sentence test. After CI surgery, the total NCIQ score improved significantly (Δ 17.1 ± 14.7, p < 0.001). General QOL (WHOQOL-BREF, Δ 0.4 ± 9.9, p = 0.357), stress (Δ 0.25 ± 3.21, p = 0.486), and depressiveness (Δ 0.52 ± 3.21, p = 0.121) were unaffected by CI surgery. Patients without elevated depressiveness (p < 0.01) or stress (p < 0.001) had significantly better total NCIQ scores. The results of the multiple regression analyses show that, after adjusting for the CCI, personality, age, and mental health stress (ß = − 0.495, p < 0.001) was significantly associated with postoperative NCIQ outcome scores. Depressiveness and neuroticism had the strongest influence on the generic QOL (ß = − 0.286 and ß = − 0.277, p < 0.05). Stress symptoms and personality traits are significant predictive factors for disease-specific QOL, as well as hearing status. This should be considered in the preoperative consultation and in optimizing the rehabilitation process.