Caregivers’ Satisfaction with Telemedicine for Aural Rehabilitation of Cochlear Implant Patients during Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Abstract Objective: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, teletherapy was a reasonable alternative to in-person therapy. However, teletherapy has certain limitations, including technological issues, reduced rapport, and challenging difficulties in engaging with patients. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of virtual rehabilitation sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic in children with cochlear implants (CIs). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a specialized tertiary care ear center to assess virtual aural rehabilitation after cochlear implantation during the COVID-19 pandemic. We included prelingually deaf children aged ≤7 years who underwent unilateral or bilateral CIs and were enrolled in aural rehabilitation with a minimum of one virtual rehabilitation session during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children with other disabilities or technical issues related to the implant devices were excluded. Parental experience and satisfaction with the virtual rehabilitation were evaluated using an interview-based questionnaire scored on a five-point Likert scale. Results: We recruited 34 participants, including 19 males (55.9%) and 15 females (44.1%). Only nine participants (26.5%) had siblings with CIs. None of the participants disagreed with the survey questionnaire. When caregivers were stratified based on their level of education, family experience with CIs, and place of residence, no significant differences were found in ease of access to the virtual sessions. Conclusion: High levels of satisfaction were observed between caregivers and professionals regarding usage comfort. However, future studies are required to evaluate the effectiveness of telemedicine rehabilitation compared with conventional methods, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, with respect to different age groups.