Objective: This study aimed to determine improvement in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using a validated disease-specific patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) questionnaire in patients undergoing bone-conduction hearing implant (BCHI) insertion.
Study design: A mixed retrospective and prospective correlational study.
Setting: Single tertiary referral center in the United Kingdom.
Patients: All adult patients undergoing their first BCHI over 6 years (April 1, 2017, to March 3, 2023).
Main outcome measures: The Chronic Otitis Media Benefit Inventory (COMBI) score (postintervention) and the Glasgow Health Status Inventory (GHSI) (pre-and post-BCHI questionnaire).
Results: Improvements were seen across all COMBI domains. The mean total COMBI score was 46.3 (standard deviation = 5.3). Although expected significant improvements were seen in hearing and social domains, there were also notable gains in ear symptoms and reduced medical intervention post-BCHI. There was a statistically significant improvement in all GHSI scores post-BCHI (median total difference 67.1, p < 0.0001).
Conclusions: This study reports very favorable outcomes for BCHI patients using two different PROMs: COMBI and GHSI. Although these PROMs complement each other, they also offer different perspectives on the same cohort of patients, with COMBI providing a unique insight into specific ear symptoms. This is the first reported study using this complement of PROMS in BCHI patients and offers further evidence for the wide-reaching improvements BCHI can have for patients.
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