The overall aim of this study is to develop a core set of outcome measures (COS) that we will propose to evaluate remote technologies delivered within CI services to maximise the potential benefits of this model of care, and to ensure optimal and personalised care for CI users. The COS will encompass outcome measures specific to the delivery of remote technologies in terms of both (i) patient outcomes (i.e. benefits of remote technologies for CI patients), and (ii) service delivery, ensuring the outcomes can be easily integrated into clinical care. We will use the COS development ‘roadmap’ described by Hall et al. (2015), and successfully used by Allen et al (2022) to develop a CODS for hearing aids. Core to this development is input from key stakeholders, including CI users, CI service providers, including management and clinicians, CI manufacturers, CI advocacy groups and CI researchers for the development of the COS.
Specific study aims are to:
1. Review the current evidence-base on remote technologies and associated outcome measures for CI patients/services.
2. Identify a core outcome domain set using a delphi review (development of a consensus COS) of key stakeholders.
3. Identify and agree on outcome measures to deliver the COS.
These aims will be achieved through the use of a series of scoping workshops including key stakeholders, such as CI users, hearing loss advocacy group representatives, CI service providers and CI manufacturers to identify key aspects of outcomes to inform the Delphi review.
A/Prof Melanie Ferguson Curtin University, School of Allied Health/enAble Institute
Ear Science Institute Australia Brain and Hearing
Dr Catherine Sucher Ear Science Institute Australia
Ear Sciences Centre, School of Medicine, University of Western Australia
Ms Lize Coetzee Ear Science Institute Australia
Prof Rene Gifford Vanderbilt University Medical Centre, Nashville, USA
Prof Helen Cullington University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
Dr Isabelle Boivert University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Dr Padraig Kitterick National Acoustics Laboratories (NAL), Sydney, Australia
Dr Emma Laird The University of Melbourne, Soundfair Australila
Dr David Allen Incept Labs
Disease Category: Ear, nose, & throat
Disease Name: Hearing loss
Age Range: 18
Sex: Either
Nature of Intervention: Other
- Charities
- Clinical experts
- Consumers (caregivers)
- Consumers (patients)
- Device manufacturers
- Families
- Patient/ support group representatives
- Researchers
- Service providers
- Service users
- COS for clinical trials or clinical research
- COS for practice
- Delphi process
- Focus group(s)
- Systematic review
Phase 1: Synthesise the current evidence-base of outcome measures used to evaluate remote technologies used with CI patients
A systematic review will be conducted on the use of remote technologies and the associated outcome measures (patient, service) used in CI services. The review will be registered on PROSPERO.
Phase 2: To identify a core outcome domain set involving key stakeholders
To obtain a consensus on the CODS (i.e the what?), we will run two parallel electronic delphi reviews with two sets of stakeholders:
with two sets of stakeholders:
(i) CI users. These will be recruited from Australia and also countries outside Australia, to ensure that the patient voice is at the heart of the development of the COS. We will aim to recruit 50 patients through our network of CI services and advocacy groups.
(ii) Professionals: These will be recruited from the key stakeholder groups mentioned previously. We will aim to recruit 50 professionals through our network in Australia and internationally.
(iii) Phase 3: To identify and agree on outcome measures to deliver the COS
(iv) The research team will appraise the long list of outcome measures (the how?) according to the COSMIN checklist (e.g. content validity, internal consistency, dimensionality). A decision will be made whether or not to include the outcome measures for the next stage.
(v) A shorter, more rapid 2-round delphi review of the ‘short list’ of outcome measures will be sent to professionals. An online final consensus workshop will specify the final COS.