title: Ten-year health-related quality of life in cochlear implant recipients: prospective SF-36 data with SF-6D conversion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the long-term impact of cochlear implantation on quality of life measured by the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Scores were also converted to the SF-6D to derive health utility scores.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two patients undergoing cochlear implantation completed the SF-36 preoperatively, 1 year, and 10 years after cochlear implantation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SF-36 results showed improvements in seven of the eight attributes when preoperative scores where compared with 1- and 10-year results. Between 1 and 10 years postoperatively, six of eight domains deteriorated in scores. When converted to the SF-6D, the mean preoperative utility scores were 0.592 for standard gamble, 0.636 using the ordinal health state paradigm, and 0.579 using the Bayesian technique. Ten years postoperatively, health utility scores were 0.643 (standard gamble), 0.684 (ordinal health state), and 0.6 (Bayesian). Between preoperatively and 10-year postoperatively, improvements were therefore 0.051, 0.048, and 0.021 for standard gamble, ordinal health state, and Bayesian paradigm, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study establishes the long-term sustained benefits of cochlear implantation on quality of life. Nevertheless, both the SF-36 and SF-6D seem to underestimate the benefit accrued through this intervention. Our data are consistent with others regarding the unsuitability of the SF-36 in benefit assessment, notwithstanding that conversion to the SF-6D is feasible, and the SF-6D seemed to better depict possible benefits from cochlear implantation as compared to the SF-36.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arnoldner
authors.forename: Vincent Y
authors.initials: VY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Honeder
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shipp
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nedzelski
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Hearing; cost benefit; quality of life; questionnaire