Speaker
Description
Objectives: This study investigated the feasibility, acceptability, and perceived benefits of conducting cochlear implant (CI) remote fitting in real-life listening situations.Methods: Twelve post-lingually deafened CI users participated in four sessions: a baseline in-clinic visit, two remote fitting sessions (at home and in a real-life setting), and a final in-clinic evaluation. Participants completed a Client Oriented Scale of Improvement (COSI) survey and a custom post-study survey.Results: Most participants reported high satisfaction with remote fitting. Participants frequently cited reduced travel time and improved satisfaction in specific listening situations as benefits, while technical issues and reduced non-verbal communication were noted as drawbacks. All participants indicated they would recommend remote fitting to other CI users.Conclusion: Remote fitting in real-world settings is both feasible and well accepted by CI users, particularly those with relatively good aided speech intelligibility. It adds value by enabling fitting and subjective assessment in listening situations that, according to their COSI, are important to CI users.