Hygiene and disinfection are at the forefront of conversation during the COVID-19 pandemic. To help answer your patients’ questions about thoroughly cleaning their Cochlear™ sound processors, we’ve provided this FAQ.
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By guest author: Sarah Cherney
Since the launch of Cochlear Link in the fall of 2015, over 300 clinics have begun using the cloud-based service.
Cochlear Link automatically and securely registers patients’ equipment directly from Custom Sound®. Additionally, if a patient calls Cochlear for service and requires a replacement sound processor, they will get their replacement the next business day. This means clinicians receive fewer emails requesting MAPs and patients get back on air faster.
See what clinicians are saying about how service has changed for their clinic and their patients. The comments below from professionals regarding their experience with Cochlear Link over the past 2 years shine a light on the benefits it brings to the clinic.
“I work part time, so no one is waiting for me to send a CDX file etc. The last session is immediately accessible to Cochlear to assist the patient with extremely fast turnaround.
Sometimes things are processed so quickly we don’t even have enough time to call the patient back!”
-Dr. Merrisa E. Murtha, Au.D., CCC-A, Associates in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery P.C., Worcester, MA
“By signing up for Cochlear Link, it has saved me a lot of time and improved my productivity. I am glad we have Cochlear Link, it makes me proud to work with Cochlear for this reason. It means faster turn around and good customer service. It also means fewer unbillable hours for the audiologist.”
-Joseph Dansie, Au.D., CCC-A/F-AAA/CISC, Peak ENT Associates, Provo, UT
“Cochlear Link has allowed for accessibility any time of the day, any day. It has allowed a reduction in delay of out-of-sound occurrence without interrupting clinic time and clinician focus. I absolutely spend less time addressing administrative tasks since Cochlear Link does some of them for me. ”
-Julie Yeater, Au.D., CCC-A, Interim Manager of Audiology and Neurophysiology, Toledo Hospital, Promedica Health System, Toledo, OH
“Cochlear Link has been a huge time saver at Presbyterian Ear Institute. Prior to Cochlear Link we would get several emails each week asking for MAP requests. This would slow down clinic and cause the patient to be without sound until we were able to send the .CDX file to Cochlear. Now Cochlear is able to upload the patient’s MAPs and send them a processor in a much shorter amount of time. As a clinician, I don’t get bogged down by emails and/or calls from Cochlear.
Cochlear Link has really allowed me to see more patients throughout the day and gives me time for other work that needs to be done.”
-Christine Epstein, Au.D., CCC-A, Presbyterian Ear Institute, Albuquerque, NM
About our guest author:
Sarah Cherney is the Product Marketing Specialist for Cochlear’s Clinical Care Team. Sarah joined Cochlear in June of 2013. In her current role, Sarah is responsible for onboarding clinics onto Cochlear Link, Cochlear’s cloud-based service software. Please contact CochlearLink@cochlear.com for more information.
Lone Tree, Colo. (May 3, 2021) — Adults with cochlear implants may be able to improve their listening and communications skills in daily life with the help of a new self-guided digital tool by Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH), the global leader in implantable hearing solutions.
Cochlear™ CoPilot is a new mobile app to improve hearing techniques. The app is designed for iPhone® to provide cochlear implant recipients with information, personalized support, and practical tips for hearing, listening and communication all in the palm of their hand.
Many adults with cochlear implants don’t actively seek appropriate hearing rehabilitation because of a common belief that the hearing technology alone is enough.1 But while a cochlear implant provides access to sound, research shows that rehabilitation that involves knowledge building and hearing skills training will help recipients improve listening and communication in real-world everyday situations.2,3
With this in mind, the app features articles by clinical experts and cochlear implant recipients with tips on a range of topics – from listening in noise and managing listening fatigue, to reconnecting to music and communicating in the workplace. Developed using the latest clinical evidence and proven rehabilitation practices, Cochlear CoPilot also features interactive skill builders designed to help improve listening and communication skills.
“The app has helped me with my listening skills and rehab,” said Laurie Goodwin, a 58-year-old physical therapist assistant from Florida who says she wouldn’t be able to do her job without her cochlear implant. “I find the skill-up listening practice very helpful in trying to understand words.”
Our brains continue to learn new skills across our life.4,5,6 People who have had their cochlear implant for many years may be able to improve their listening and communication outcomes with focused attention or active practice.1
“Ten minutes, a few times a week, I think it’s really made a huge difference in my focus and the way I look at sound. I’ve had my implant for 15 years and I’ve pretty much plateaued with my ability – mainly because I don’t work on it,” said Christine Anthony, a busy mother who runs an IT business in Michigan. “With CoPilot, I love the little listening exercises that help me work on word recognition. I can do them anytime – waiting for a cup of coffee or waiting to pick up a kid from soccer practice. It’s like playing a short game.”
“At Cochlear, we are committed to improving our service and support offerings to help meet the changing needs of our hearing implant recipients,” said René Courtney, Vice President & General Manager, Recipient Services, Cochlear Americas. “As we saw throughout the pandemic, at-home, digital health services are important now more than ever. The addition of Cochlear CoPilot provides cochlear implant recipients with a simple mobile app to help them build their listening and communication skills from the palm of their hand, so they can be better equipped to hear wherever their day may take them.”
Cochlear CoPilot is designed to be convenient and easy to use; it is free for download from the App Store® now in the United States and Canada.
About Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)
Cochlear is the global leader in implantable hearing solutions. The company has a global workforce of more than 4,000 people and invests more than AUD$180 million each year in research and development. Products include cochlear implants, bone conduction implants and acoustic implants, which healthcare professionals use to treat a range of moderate to profound types of hearing loss.
Since 1981, Cochlear has provided more than 600,000 implantable devices, helping people of all ages, in more than 180 countries, to hear.
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References
1. Drouin JR & Theodore RM. (2020). Leveraging interdisciplinary perspectives to optimize auditory training for cochlear implant users. Lang Linguist Compass. 2020 Sep; 14(9): e12394. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/lnc3.12394.
2. Boothroyd A. Adult aural rehabilitation: what is it and does it work? Trends Amplif. 2007 Jun;11(2):63–71.
3. Ferguson M, Maidment D, Henshaw H et al. Evidence-based interventions for adult aural rehabilitation: that was then, this is now. Semin Hear. 2019 Feb;40(1):68–84.
4. Anderson S & Kraus N. Auditory training: evidence for neural plasticity in older adults. Perspect Hear Hear Disord Res Diagn. 2013 May;17:37–57.
5. Zendel B, West GL, Belleville S et al. Musical training improves the ability to understand speech-in-noise in older adults. Neurobiol Aging. 2019 Sep;81:102–115.
6. Pascual-Leone A, Amedi A, Fregni F et al. The plastic human brain cortex. Ann Rev Neurosci 2005 Jul;28:377–401.
iPhone is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
