Improving Practitioner Skills: Insights from Parental Attitudes on Cochlear Implantation
As practitioners dedicated to enhancing the lives of children with hearing impairments, understanding the perspectives of parents is crucial. A recent study titled Validity and Reliability of “Parental Attitudes of Various Aspects of Cochlear Implantation” Questionnaire provides valuable insights into parental attitudes towards cochlear implantation (CI) in children. The study, published in the Iranian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, offers a validated and reliable tool to assess these attitudes, which can inform our practice and improve outcomes for our young clients.
Key Findings
The study involved 92 parents of children with severe-to-profound congenital hearing loss who had undergone aural rehabilitation. The questionnaire assessed six subgroups: communication skills, academic skills, social skills, CI center services, costs of surgery and rehabilitation programs, and the decision-making process. Here are some of the key findings:
- High Content Validity: The content validity index of the questionnaire was 98.68%, indicating that the questions were highly relevant and appropriate.
- Reliability: The questionnaire demonstrated strong external and internal reliability, with Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.844 and 0.892, respectively.
- Parental Satisfaction: Parents reported the highest satisfaction in the area of communication skills (84.6%) and the lowest in the decision-making process (67.0%).
Implications for Practitioners
Understanding these parental attitudes can help practitioners in several ways:
- Tailoring Interventions: By recognizing areas where parents feel most and least satisfied, practitioners can tailor interventions to address specific needs, such as providing more support during the decision-making process.
- Enhancing Communication: Given the high satisfaction with communication skills post-CI, practitioners can focus on maintaining and further enhancing these skills through targeted therapies.
- Parental Involvement: Engaging parents in the rehabilitation process and providing them with adequate emotional and psychological support can improve overall outcomes.
Encouraging Further Research
While this study provides a robust tool for assessing parental attitudes, it also highlights the need for ongoing research. Practitioners are encouraged to use this questionnaire in their own practice to gather data and contribute to a broader understanding of the impact of cochlear implantation. Further research can help refine interventions and support strategies, ultimately leading to better outcomes for children with hearing impairments.
To read the original research paper, please follow this link: Validity and Reliability of “Parental Attitudes of Various Aspects of Cochlear Implantation” Questionnaire.
