title: Evaluation of long-term patient satisfaction and experience with the Baha® bone conduction implant.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluate long-term patient satisfaction with bone-anchored hearing aids (the Baha®, now referred to by Cochlear as a 'bone conduction implant') in our hospital clinic spanning the eighteen-year period from the inception of our Baha program. The researchers further wished to analyse the various factors leading to patient satisfaction/dissatisfaction with their Baha. We developed a new questionnaire to obtain a comprehensive impression of individual patient practices, general satisfaction, and experiences with their Baha in respect to time spent using Baha, sound quality, annoyance from noise disturbance, ease of communication, cosmetic appearance, and satisfaction with the Baha amongst patient relatives, an aspect not previously investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study design was retrospective and executed as a postal questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed by the authors of this paper.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients operated on for a Baha at our hospital from 1989 to 2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 92.4%. Eighty-six percent were satisfied or very satisfied with their Baha. Ninety-one percent of respondents could communicate using their Baha in a one-on-one conversational setting. A primary factor leading to dissatisfaction, experienced by 70% of responding patients, was annoyance from wind noise.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Baha was found to yield good overall patient satisfaction over the long-term, and it was possible to identify specific factors attributing to satisfaction/dissatisfaction.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery , Rigshospitalet, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen , Denmark. jacobrasmu@gmail.com
authors: Jacob
authors: J
authors: Rasmussen
authors: Steen Østergaard
authors: SØ
authors: Olsen
authors: Lars Holme
authors: LH
authors: Nielsen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001844:Bone Conduction; D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006310:Hearing Aids / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D013016:Sound; D055815:Young Adult