Neurotology Fellow Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Objective: The objective of this study is to historically evaluate changes and trends within the cochlear implant literature over time.
Study Design: Comprehensive Literature Review
Setting: Tertiary care academic medical center
Patients: A historical review of the cochlear implant literature was conducted in 10-year intervals from 1980 to 2020. The 5 journals with the highest volume of cochlear implant literature in 1980 and still in publication today were queried using PubMed.
Interventions: Address the trends and changes within the cochlear implant literature from 1980 to 2020.
Main Outcome Measures: The main outcome of this literature review is the change in the quality and quantity of cochlear implant studies over time.
Results:182 articles met inclusion criteria. A statistically significant increase in publications occurred every decade from 1980 to 2020. The mean level of evidence of all articles significantly improved every decade after 1990. The mean level of evidence for articles primarily concerning pediatric populations (3.8) was not significantly different than from those investigating adult patients (3.7). Articles from the United States (3.8) had a significantly lower level of evidence than those from other regions (3.0) across all time frames. The percentage of prospective studies increased every decade until 2020. The percentage of articles from non-university practices decreased significantly from 1990 to 2000. The percentage of articles mentioning the single channel electrode in a historical context significantly decreased from 1980 to 2000. The percentage of articles citing either William House or Graeme Clark as the inventor of the cochlear implant decreased from 1980 to 1990. Across all time frames, William House is mentioned significantly more often than Graeme Clark as the inventor of the cochlear implant.
Conclusions: The evaluation of the historical trends within the cochlear implant literature sheds light on significant developments and events within the field over time. Overall, the quality of evidence has become stronger within the last 20 years, with a trend toward more prospective studies. This review shows how developments in the field of neurotology and world events, such as the development of the ACGME accredited fellowship program in the mid to late 1990s and the COVID pandemic of 2020, have influenced the cochlear implant literature. Define Professional Practice Gap & Educational Need: This study addresses a knowledge gap in the historical cochlear implant literature. We have found no other studies that use historical literature to evaluate the trends and changes in quality of cochlear implant research over time.
Learning Objective: Review cochlear implant literature over the past 40 years in order to critically evaluate future directions of study and gain historical perspective.
Desired Result: Improve future directions of study within the field of cochlear implantation by evaluating the historical literature