Evaluation of a mobile-based remote aftercare application in cochlear implant users

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Digital Health
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Traditional cochlear implant (CI) follow-up requires in-person visits, causing significant travel burdens for users.
• A mobile health application, Remote Check, was developed to enable remote CI system and hearing performance evaluations.
• This study reports on a real-world field test of the Remote Check application with 29 CI users.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and usability of the Remote Check mobile health application for remote cochlear implant follow-up.
• To compare the effectiveness of remote follow-up using Remote Check against traditional face-to-face clinical sessions.
• To assess user and professional satisfaction and perceived benefits of the Remote Check system.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 29 experienced CI users underwent paired Remote Check and face-to-face follow-up sessions.
• The mHealth App Usability Questionnaire (MAUQ) and ad-hoc surveys assessed usability and user experience regarding travel.
• Session durations and agreement on follow-up actions between remote and in-person methods were compared.

Main Results:

• Remote Check successfully facilitated technical CI checks and hearing performance evaluations.
• Both users and professionals reported high satisfaction with the Remote Check application via the MAUQ.
• Remote Check resulted in shorter session times and showed strong agreement with face-to-face follow-up actions, with users perceiving cost savings.

Conclusions:

• MED-EL Remote Check is a suitable tool for remote evaluation of cochlear implant systems and user hearing.
• The application has the potential to decrease healthcare access barriers, especially for rural populations.
• Remote evaluation via mobile health applications offers a viable alternative to traditional clinical follow-up for CI users.