Objective: Although cochlear implantation has been shown to improve quality of life, the socioeconomic benefit to the individual and society has not been thoroughly investigated. Our objective was to determine the economic impact of profound deafness and subsequent effects of unilateral cochlear implantation.
Design: Retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected cochlear implantation database.
Setting: An academic, tertiary care hospital.
Methods: A prospectively collected cochlear implantation database of 702 patients was reviewed. Known Canadian economic surrogates were used to estimate the personal economic impact of both deafness and unilateral cochlear implantation.
Main outcome measures: The main outcome measures included employment rates and personal income prior to and following cochlear implantation.
Results: A total of 637 patients had sufficient occupational data for inclusion in the study; 36.7% suffered a negative economic impact as a result of their deafness. Cochlear implantation was associated with a significant increase in median yearly income compared to preimplantation ($42 672 vs $30 432; p = .007).
Conclusions: Cochlear implantation not only improves quality of life but also translates into significant economic benefits for patients and the Canadian economy. These benefits appear to exceed the overall costs of cochlear implantation.