CONTENT VALIDITY OF SELECTED ITEMS FROM THE SPEECH, SPATIAL AND QUALITIES OF HEARING SCALE FOR PARENTS (SSQ-P) AS MEASURED BY A SURVEY OF EXPERT OPINION

Introduction: The purpose of this small-scale study was to assess the content validity of a modified subset of ten items from the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale for Parents (SSQ-P) via a survey of expert opinion. Material and methods: An online survey was used to obtain opinions from 10 experts in the field of children’s hearing and hearing assessment. Experts were asked to rate the relevance and representativeness of each SSQ-P item to deaf and hard of hearing children aged 5 years and over. Content validity was assessed by the item content validity index (ICVI), with excellent content validity identified as an ICVI above 0.8. Experts were also asked to suggest where they felt the wording of items could be improved. Results: For all items, ICVIs > 0.8 were obtained for both relevance and representativeness, indicating excellent content validity. Some minor rewording suggestions were made. Conclusions: The 10 items tested are candidates for inclusion in an abbreviated version of SSQ-P. Some minor rewording of items may be required, along with assessment of internal consistency and test–retest stability

Mobilized bias and multistakeholder protected-area planning: a socio-institutional perspective on collaboration

By examining the Kawartha Highlands Local Stakeholder Committee, this paper considers how historical factors impact the efficacy of local collaborations. Tasked with developing an initial planning framework for a new protected area in Ontario, Canada, the design of this largely inefficacious process exhibited several questionable trade-offs between competing procedural objectives. However, these factors were not the sole driver behind the establishment of a second, more regionally driven process; previous planning initiatives were equally important. Ontario’s larger history of land use planning contributed to the emergence of rigid discursive constructions amongst powerful stakeholder coalitions, whose interests were consistently accommodated through closed-door negotiations. Healey’s (2007; 2006) socio-institutional approach, which frames such historical factors as part of the informal ‘infrastructures’ of collaboration and as a form of mobilized bias, is offered as a conceptual bridge between the potential scales and units of analysis involved in the study of collaborative natural resource management

Evidence for an Association Between Hearing Impairment and Disrupted Sleep: Scoping Review

Purpose: Hearing impairment (HI) is the most common sensory impairment and may negatively impact sleep through reduced auditory input. Factors associated with HI, such as anxiety regarding communication in daily life, may also adversely impact an individual’s sleep. Here, research on the relationship between HI and sleep disruption was catalogued using scoping review methodology. Methods: A systematic strategy was employed to search various electronic databases. This review is reported according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Scoping Review Extension (PRISMA-ScR). Results: Sixteen records met inclusion criteria. Studies have investigated sleep in HI as a primary aim in noise exposed workers or large surveys in older participants. Experimental and quasi-experimental studies report alterations to sleep architecture of potential neuroplastic origins. Studies reporting sleep as a secondary aim generally report poorer in sleep in HI participants. Conclusions: This scoping review has catalogued evidence that altered or negatively impacted sleep may be associated with HI. Potential confounding factors, mechanisms, and considerations for future research are discussed

Comparison of high versus low frequency cerebral physiology for cerebrovascular reactivity assessment in traumatic brain injury: a multi-center pilot study

Current accepted cerebrovascular reactivity indices suffer from the need of high frequency data capture and export for post-acquisition processing. The role for minute-by-minute data in cerebrovascular reactivity monitoring remains uncertain. The goal was to explore the statistical time-series relationships between intra-cranial pressure (ICP), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pressure reactivity index (PRx) using both 10-s and minute data update frequency in TBI. Prospective data from 31 patients from 3 centers with moderate/severe TBI and high-frequency archived physiology were reviewed. Both 10-s by 10-s and minute-by-minute mean values were derived for ICP and MAP for each patient. Similarly, PRx was derived using 30 consecutive 10-s data points, updated every minute. While long-PRx (L-PRx) was derived via similar methodology using minute-by-minute data, with L-PRx derived using various window lengths (5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 60 min; denoted L-PRx_5, etc.). Time-series autoregressive integrative moving average (ARIMA) and vector autoregressive integrative moving average (VARIMA) models were created to analyze the relationship of these parameters over time. ARIMA modelling, Granger causality testing and VARIMA impulse response function (IRF) plotting demonstrated that similar information is carried in minute mean ICP and MAP data, compared to 10-s mean slow-wave ICP and MAP data. Shorter window L-PRx variants, such as L-PRx_5, appear to have a similar ARIMA structure, have a linear association with PRx and display moderate-to-strong correlations (r ~ 0.700, p Peer reviewe

Telehealth rehabilitation for adults with cochlear implants in response to the Covid-19 pandemic: platform selection and case studies

BackgroundEffective information giving and goal setting before cochlear implantation and individualised rehabilitation following implantation are both crucial for shaping patients’ expectations and optimising outcomes. The Covid-19 pandemic led to temporary cessation of face to face clinic appointments. This created a need for telehealth rehabilitation for adults whose hearing loss presents unique communication challenges.AimsWe describe the piloting and implementation of telehealth rehabilitation within an adult cochlear implant service.MethodVideo conferencing and telehealth tools were assessed in terms of security, accessibility and functionality. Written support materials were developed. Telehealth sessions were piloted with lay volunteers. During service implementation, feedback was collected from patients and staff.Outcomes & resultsA video call platform was identified that was supported by the host Trust and also met the rehabilitation service’s needs. A telehealth service was successfully implemented, ensuring continuity of care during lockdown. We share the platform selection framework used, practical lessons learned and patient support materials.Conclusion.Telehealth rehabilitation facilitated a well-received, effective service for adult cochlear implant patients. It is predicted that the benefits of telehealth rehabilitation will last beyond the lockdown restrictions posed by Covid-19