Where Science Meets Experience: Increasing global access to Cochlear Implants and sustainable Cochlear Implant services

This is a joint collection developed with the Cochlear Implant International Community of Action (CIICA)

The World Health Organisation identified Cochlear Implants (CI) as "one of the most successful of all neural prostheses developed to date." in their World Report on Hearing. In providing useful hearing to those who get little or no benefit from hearing aids, cochlear implantation, now 40 years old, transforms the lives of both deaf children and adults. Yet despite there now being over 1 million implants globally, people with hearing loss remain massively underprovided for, with global estimates ranging from 2.5% to 20% depending on country of those who could benefit receiving one. For many of those with an implant, there can also be ongoing concerns about access to the necessary support and long-term maintenance services. While there is a very rich vein of medical research on the benefits of CIs for individuals, improving procedures and outcomes from surgery, there has been less focus on translating this knowledge into practical and achievable health and social policy, which would help to ensure that more children and adults could benefit from this life-changing technology.

This proposed collection focuses on the intersection between the voluminous science in this area and the development of a more coherent and intentionally applicable framework and insights in how to ensure that access to the technology can be extended to all those who could benefit, which is securely funded and with ongoing services and support secured. The collection would also look at the economic case for health systems and society in taking the necessary steps to achieve this, and encourage contributors to provide road maps for the future development of medical and social services to meet patient needs. It would also focus on crucial missing voices in this debate, people with hearing loss and their families.

Given that this collection aims to explore the interface between science and experience, we would not be calling for more original scientific medical papers. The focus will be on the analysis and translation of existing medical and social research, health policy and patient perception and experience into informing and changing policy and practice. New or recent research will be accepted as long as it embeds the analysis in the broader context and explores the wider implications for policy and practice.

We will be seeking contributions across the following themes;

• Improving assessment and access to CI
• The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of CI
• CI support across the lifespan (from children to older people)
• Special issues, e.g., tinnitus and CI, access to bilateral implantation, and Single Sided Deafness, service innovation
• Patient experience and voice: what needs to change?

The categories of papers accepted will therefore be restricted to:

• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review & Mini-Review
• Systematic Review
• Commentary & Opinion

For any of their areas, there would need to be a focus on how current research can inform future policy and practice in extending the benefits of CI and supporting those with CI more effectively, including service innovation. Contributions would be welcome on both children and adults.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Cochlear Implants, Neural Prostheses, Hearing Loss, Deafness, Bilateral Implantation, Single Sided Deafness, Tinnitus, Health Policy, Social Policy, Service Innovation, Healthcare Access, Long-term Support, Health Systems, Cost-effectiveness

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.