American Academy of Audiology Endorses New Cochlear Implant Candidacy Guidelines

The American Academy of Audiology has developed a policy and a set of procedures for endorsing clinical practice guidelines that were developed by other health professional organizations with the goal to increase the number of Academy-vetted high-quality clinical practice guidelines and guidance documents available to the Academy’s members. 

Endorsement efforts are intended to reduce duplication of effort; to present harmonized recommendations, thereby reducing the chance of competing and incompatible guidance; and to promote wider adoption and to increase acceptance and implementation.

The Academy’s endorsement entails a formal review by the Guidelines and Strategic Documents Committee to determine appropriateness for Academy’s endorsement, review by the expert panel for methodological quality and rigor using the modified Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II assessment instrument, and an approval by the Academy Board of Directors. The endorsement process, including information on the procedures related to review for endorsement, types of endorsement, and dissemination, is detailed in the American Academy of Audiology Endorsement of Clinical Practice Documents Developed by External Organizations policy document.

Further reading: Vestibular Assessment in Infant Cochlear Implant Candidates

American Cochlear Implant Alliance Task Force Recommendations for Determining Cochlear Implant Candidacy in Adults

The Academy, upon detailed appraisal of the guideline content and recommendations and supporting evidence, has endorsed the clinical practice guidelines that were developed by the American Cochlear Implant (ACI) Alliance and published in The Laryngoscope.

The American Cochlear Implant Alliance Task Force: Recommendations for Determining Cochlear Candidacy (CI) in Adults offers standardized guidance for “determining appropriate cochlear implant referrals for adult patients with bilateral hearing loss.”

Acknowledgments

The American Academy of Audiology also acknowledged the expert panel that convened to review the ACI Alliance Task Force guidelines for endorsement consideration: Jessica Messersmith, PhD, University of South Dakota; Jaime Bogle, Aud, PhD, Mayo Clinic; and Viral Tejani, AuD, PhD, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center/Case Western Reserve University.