The survey of parents' and adults recipients' satisfaction with cochlear implantation determined by the place of residence.

<b>Introduction:</b> The use of cochlear implants (CI) has been a remarkable success in reducing disabilities in patients with impaired hearing. The definition of success for those patients means improvement of hearing ability for adults, possibility to develop speech and language for children, quality of life improvement and satisfaction with the whole CI implantation procedure. <br><b>The aim:</b> To examine patient satisfaction, determined by their place of residence, with all activities in progress during CI implantation including care in subsequent years. Material and methods: The study was conducted prospectively. Online surveys were sent to 1,906 CI patients, with the response rate reaching 33%; thus 630 surveys were analyzed. Demographic data of the respondents were collected: gender, age of implantation, one- or two-sided implantation, place of residence and implanting clinic. A detailed statistical analysis of the obtained data was performed. <br><b>Results:</b> One of the problems observed was the aspect of waiting time for qualification, implantation and replacement of the speech processor. The second problem was the travel time to the CI center and that was strictly connected with the place of the residence of a patient. Patients' satisfaction with the control visit was high for majority of them. <br><b>Conclusions:</b> This research highlighted the limitations of the current CI service delivery. Significant differences concerning the CI pathway were found for particular regions of Poland. One of the future goals for healthcare providers should be to level out the differences in access to CI services between different regions of Poland.

[Epidemiological and demographic analysis of indications for Baha® surgery in Poland--multicenter study]. / Analiza epidemiologiczna i demograficzna wskazan do implantacji systemu Baha® w Polsce--badanie wieloosrodkowe.

AIM OF THE STUDY: To collect and analyze epidemiological and demographical data of patients qualified for and implanted with the Baha® system in Poland. MATERIAL AND METHOD: 17 out of 28 otolaryngology departments performing Baha® implantation in Poland participated in the study. Up to date there were 286 patients registered in database. Data were obtained from the preoperative questionnaires including information such as age and gender, indications for the implantation, previous hearing aid use as well as data regarding the surgical technique. RESULTS: The most frequent indication for the Baha® system was bilateral mixed hearing loss (51%), followed by SSD (18%), bilateral conductive hearing loss (17%), unilateral mixed (8%) and conductive (6%) hearing loss. In 11% of subjects hearing impairment was congenital versus 89% cases of acquired. The mean age was 44 years with the slight prevalence of women (52%). 63% of patients did not have previous experience with hearing aids. The most frequent surgical technique was classic dermatome single stage procedure performed under general anesthesia (65%). CONCLUSIONS: Data gather in this multicentre research serve as a valuable source of information on qualifications for the Baha®, shows demographic spectrum of adult recipients in Poland. It also presents the preferences of surgical procedures. Outcomes of the study may constitute a reference for each centre participating in this research as well as for new centers starting the Baha® procedure.