title: Measuring Success: Cost-Effectiveness and Expanding Access to Cochlear Implantation.
abstract: Only a small fraction of patients with profound sensorineural hearing loss have access to cochlear implantation with the majority of these affected people living in developing countries. Cost effectiveness analysis (CEA) is an important tool to demonstrate the value of this technology to healthcare policy makers. This approach requires that hearing healthcare professionals incorporate methods of assessing long-term benefits of cochlear implantation that include psychosocial, quality of life, and disability outcomes. This review explores different aspects of CEA methodology relevant to cochlear implants and discusses ways that we can improve global access by addressing factors that influence cost-effectiveness.
authors.affiliation: *Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire †Department of Otolaryngology, Johns Hopkins Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. ‡Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: Howard W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: Piotr H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Skarzynski
mesh_terms: D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D003054:Cochlear Implants / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life