Technology in favor of continuous professional development in cochlear implant

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To evaluate the teleconsultation synchronously in the mapping of the cochlear implant (CI) as an ongoing professional development tool in training programmes for audiologists.

Methods

It was a prospective longitudinal study, in the form of clinical preceptor with teleconsultation in a synchronous way directed at assisting the mapping of CI users. Distance learning was offered to fellow audiologists in a hospital and the audiology tutor in the remote unit. The chosen platform allowed the tutor to view and perform interventions on the CI mapping screen. Three questionnaires covering teaching markers were applied; the quality and importance of teleconsultation; interaction between professionals; and self-assessment of confidence in carrying out the mapping steps before and after teleconsultations.

Results

Seven audiologists participated; 268 consultations were analyzed over three years. The clinical markers showed, on average and individually, that there is a statistical correlation with a decrease in the number of total interventions, in the interventions of CI mapping and clinical reasoning throughout the sessions. The average of the scores of the importance of teleconsultation was 9.7 and the interaction with the tutor was 9.3. In the self-assessment, all audiologists responded that they were “not at all/not very confident” for the mapping steps before the intervention, and at the end of the course they responded “moderately/very confident” for the same steps.

Conclusion

The use of synchronous teleconsultation was feasible and efficient as a teaching tool for audiologists. It was possible to observe the decrease in the number of interventions over time, evidencing the learning curve.

Keywords:
Cochlear implantation; Remote sensing technology; Education distance; Deafness; Surveys and questionnaires