Examining the Impact of Race, Ethnicity, and Language on Pursuit of Cochlear Implantation.

Introduction: It is unclear whether primary language impacts decision to pursue cochlear implantation (CI) and which factors seen in White patients may account for higher odds of implantation. The aim of this study was to further define factors that contribute to decision to pursue or decline cochlear implantation.

Methods: Retrospective chart review of patients older than 18 years who underwent cochlear implant evaluation (CPT 92626/92627), from January 1, 2017 to October 31, 2023 and were determined to be cochlear implantation candidates was completed. Those who pursued CI were compared to those who did not, in addition to White and non-White patients. T-testing, Chi-square analysis, and multivariate analysis were used to compare the groups.

Results: From January 1, 2017 to October 31, 2023, a total of 93 patients met inclusion criteria, of which 46 (49.5%) underwent CI. White candidates had 4.33 the odds of pursuing cochlear implantation compared to those who were not White (95% CI: 1.15, 1.86; p = 0.04). White candidates and those who did not need interpreters were noted to have significantly higher preoperative scores for bilateral (p < 0.0001) and unilateral AZBio in quiet (p < 0.0001), unilateral Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant (CNC) words, and unilateral CNC phonemes (p < 0.0001) compared to non-White candidates.

Conclusion: White patients had significantly higher odds of pursuing cochlear implantation compared to non-White patients. White patients were noted to have significantly higher preoperative AzBio in quiet and CNC word/phoneme scores compared to non-White patients.