Tool Development for Parental Reviews of Cochlear Implanted Children in Urdu

The treatment of profound hearing loss and the adjustment of a child after this is a critical task for parents. Presently, cochlear implantation is the most common and effective treatment for profound hearing loss. However, navigating the decision-making process can be overwhelming for families. Currently, there is no standardized tool available in Urdu to help parents before taking the decision of cochlear implantation. Objective: To develop a tool to assess parental reviews of cochlear-implanted children in Urdu. Methods: This descriptive research conducted at Riphah International University (Sept. 2020–February 2021) utilized a sample of 20 parents of cochlear implanted children, aged 6 to 15 5 years. Parents included either gender aged 29 to 59 years. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed using interviews and existing literature. Themes from interviews and existing literature were used to develop items. Content validity was assessed by 5 expert speech and language pathologists. For the meaningfulness of each item, a cognitive debriefing interview was conducted with the parents. Each item was reviewed and modified as per suggestion and pre-tested. Results: A 92-item tool was developed with 07 subsections related to i) Decision of Cochlear Implantation, ii) Process of Cochlear Implantation, iii) Effects of Cochlear Implantation, iv) General Functioning of Child, v) Self-Reliance and QoL, vi) Education of Child and vii Communication. The tool revealed good reliability and content validity SCVI=0.94. Conclusion: The developed 92-item Parental Reviews of Cochlear-Implanted Children in Urdu (PRCIC-U) tool is a reliable and valid tool review of different stages of the cochlear implantation procedure for the Urdu-speaking population.