The potential benefit and cost-effectiveness of tactile devices in comparison with cochlear implants

Abstract

The use of the word 'potential' in the title of this chapter implies that the discussion must be somewhat speculative in attempting to foresee the benefits and costs of cochlear implants in the future. It is now much easier to do this than it would have been five or ten years ago, although there still remain many unanswered questions about their use, especially for hearing-impaired children. As far as possible, the assumptions and opinions expressed in this chapter are based on fact but in some cases reflect the subjective bias of the authors. (These opinions are not necessarily shared by other contributors to this book.) In particular, one author (PJB) has been involved in cochlear implant research for over ten years and began developing a tactile device in 1984 as a control device in studies of cochlear implants in children. Children and adults using this device have produced results comparable to those for some groups of cochlear implant patients. Despite these results, which exceeded initial expectations, there is still some bias in favour of the cochlear implant.