Cochlear Implant Candidacy Guidelines

Hearing test results

• Does the patient have a ski-slope sensorineural hearing loss with poor word recognition?
• Does the patient have a word recognition score poorer than 65% in either ear?
• Does the patient have a moderate to profound hearing loss in either ear?

Everyday listening

• Does the patient’s aided hearing loss significantly impact daily interactions either socially or professionally?
• Does the patient have difficulty following conversation in noise while wearing appropriately fitted hearing aids?
• Does the patient have difficulty on the telephone while wearing appropriately fitted hearing aids?
• Is the patient dissatisfied with their current use of hearing aids?
• Does the patient have difficulty communicating with one or more people when background noise is present?
• Does the patient have difficulty in situations when lip reading is unavailable?
• Does the patient often ask people to repeat themselves?
• Is the patient withdrawing socially because the effort of listening has become overwhelming and/or frustrating?
• Does the patient have single-sided deafness or significantly asymmetric hearing loss?

Not sure if your patient meets the criteria? Call us on 0458 550 055 to discuss, or see when to refer for an assessment.