Abstract
Cochlear implants are expensive devices for patients with hearing loss, with limited
effectiveness data available in Thailand. In 2017, the Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI)
provided research funding to establish the Cochlear Implant Program in Thailand to monitor
patients' hearing outcomes after surgery. Currently, the program includes approximately 500
patients, and most of them have hearing levels sufficient for communication. As a result, in
2022, HSRI presented the effectiveness data to the National Health Security Office (NHSO),
leading to an official announcement expanding healthcare benefits to include cochlear
implantation surgery for deaf children under five years old.
The Cochlear Implant Program in Thailand has assessed surgical outcomes related to
hearing and overall quality of life; however, there has been no follow-up on academic
performance among implanted children or specific quality-of-life measures for cochlear implant
recipients. The project "Academic performance and quality of life of deaf children after cochlear
implantation in Thailand" is a one-year study with the following objectives:
1. To obtain preliminary data on the academic performance of cochlear implant recipients.
2. To develop a specific quality-of-life assessment tool for cochlear implant recipients
instead of using a general quality-of-life questionnaire.
3. To identify factors influencing academic performance and quality of life in cochlear
implant recipients.
This study involves four participating institutions: Khon Kaen University, Chiang Mai University,
Prince of Songkla University, and Mahidol University. A total of 148 volunteers were recruited,
divided into 77 participants for academic performance assessment and 71 participants for the
development of the quality-of-life assessment tool.
Academic performance
Among the academic performance group (average age: 12 years), most participants had current
good (>3.0) and excellent (>3.5) GPAs, with an average GPA of 3.06. The highest GPA recorded was
4.0, while the lowest was 0.7.
General quality of life
For general quality of life assessment, responses from 60 parents indicated that most
children had good overall quality of life (lower scores indicate better quality of life), with the
social aspect scoring the highest. Additionally, based on 30 child self-reports, general quality of
life was rated good, with the physical aspect scoring the highest.
Analysis of Influencing Factors
Factors affecting academic performance: The study found that spoken language
communication within the family was the only significant factor contributing to improved
academic performance.
Factors affecting quality of life: No statistically significant influencing factors were found.
Development of a Specific Quality-of-Life Tool
The research team translated three cochlear implant-specific questionnaires into Thai:
Cochlear Implant Quality of Life questionnaire (CIQOL)
Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ)
Children with Cochlear Implants: Parent’s Perspectives questionnaire (CCIPP)
A total of 71 volunteers participated in this part of the study. Results indicated that all
three questionnaires had internal consistency values above 0.8 and reliability coefficients above
0.7
Conclusion
This research provides preliminary data indicating that deaf children with cochlear
implants in Thailand generally have good academic performance and quality of life. Spoken
language communication within the family plays an essential role in academic achievement.
Additionally, this study has successfully developed a specific quality-of-life assessment tool for
monitoring cochlear implant recipients in the future.
