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Updated: Aug 17, 2025

Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Development of the hearing-related quality of life questionnaire for auditory-visual, cognitive and psychosocial
Dorien Ceuleers1, Nele Baudonck2, Hannah Keppler3
1Department of Head and Skin, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Introduction:
There is a need for a validated and standardized self-assessment instrument to assess the subjective effect of hearing aid (HA) use and/or cochlear implantation (CI) on different aspects of functioning in daily life. The aim of this study was to develop a new holistic Patient Reported Outcome Measure (PROM) to assess hearing-related quality of life. The new PROM is titled the hearing-related quality of life questionnaire for Auditory-VIsual, COgnitive and Psychosocial functioning (hAVICOP).
Methods:
A conceptual framework was set up and test items were prepared per domain. Preliminary testing involved a semi-structured interview-based assessment in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired adults and an expert panel. For the further psychometric evaluation, a new sample of 15 adult HA users, 20 adult CI users and 20 normal-hearing adults filled in the refined version of the hAVICOP, the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale, the Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire and the TNO-AZL Questionnaire for Adult's Health-Related Quality of Life. Based on these results, a factor analysis was conducted and internal consistency, discriminant validity and concurrent construct validity were determined.
Results:
The final version of the hAVICOP consists of three domains for hearing-related quality of life: (1) auditory-visual functioning, (2) cognitive functioning, and (3) psychosocial functioning. A sufficient internal consistency was found, and discriminant validity and concurrent construct validity were good.
Conclusions:
A new PROM to assess hearing-related quality of life was developed, named the hAVICOP. In the future the validity and reliability should be examined further.
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