Cochlear Implants CEU Courses

The course reviews new candidacy criteria for cochlear implantation, including when to consider referring for a cochlear implantation evaluation, considerations specific to new patient populations, and outcomes of cochlear implant use observed for these patient populations. The course also reviews the use of imaging to personalize the mapping of cochlear implant and electric-acoustic stimulation devices.

This article details the latest developments in the field of auditory biotechnologies that aim to medically treat hearing loss using a series of different approaches. The biotechnologies described in this interview include both restorative and protective treatments, and some of the molecular and cellular mechanisms behind these treatments are described along with the most likely patient populations for early clinical trials. Finally, the current state of offerings for auditory biotechnologies is also reviewed, and readers are pointed to appropriate information to connect their patients to upcoming clinical trials.

The congenital CMV (cCMV) series presents the latest research on diagnosis and treatment, raise awareness, delineate prevention efforts, provide information about early intervention options, and disseminate family support resources in an effort to reduce the number of babies infected with cCMV.

Hearing loss in cCMV has unique features, presentation, and long-term outcomes. This presentation highlights these unique features, and outlines the current evidence that guides identification and treatment of patients with this condition.

This five-course series on adult assessments in hearing health is intended to stimulate collaborative approaches for hearing health professionals, regardless of what hearing technologies they typically provide. Ideally, professionals will support patients in their long-term hearing loss journey, facilitating transitions when appropriate and a comfortable sense of the range of ways hearing loss can be addressed throughout one’s hearing journey.

Not all cochlear implant (CI) patients present in the straightforward way taught in class. Using real case examples, this course provides a differential analysis approach to complex cochlear implant programming cases.

Advances in various hearing technologies have blurred the lines of rehabilitative candidacy for patients with different degrees of measurable hearing. Thus, the purpose of this course provides an overview of auditory outcomes and evidence-based practices for programming, verifying, and validating various hearing technologies including hearing aids and auditory implants.

Adults with severe-to-profound hearing loss utilizing hearing aids are typically not benefitting sufficiently from traditional amplification and often would benefit from hearing implants. This course will review ways hearing care professionals can support adult patients who may benefit from implants (either now or in the future) by presenting information on the cochlear implant (CI) option early in an individual’s hearing journey. A CI is not a last resort, but rather a means for those who fall within the guidelines to experience hearing improvement, rather than continued decline.

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), and specifically the Cochlear Implant Quality of Life (CIQOL) instrument suite, can enhance patient care from pre-CI evaluations to post-CI monitoring. A thorough review of these outcomes are discussed in this course.

This course will review the multiple roles audiologists and hearing aid dispensers play in the continuity of care for hearing aid users—from screening and referring potential cochlear implant candidates to performing comprehensive cochlear implant evaluations prior to referring candidates to cochlear implant surgical teams. Adults with hearing loss live with a chronic condition that requires hearing services for life. Professionals working with them must be able to provide services and guidance to these patients throughout their lifespan. Depending on their licensure and scope of practice, hearing aid dispensers and audiologists can screen, assess, and counsel their own patients regarding cochlear implants as a treatment option.