[Hearing aid provision and quality assurance]

Approximately 17.1% of the German population, so around 12.1 million people, suffer from hearing loss; however, only around 3.7 million of them have a hearing aid. Inadequately treated hearing loss not only has an enormous impact on quality of life but also causes extremely high costs. A meta-analysis of many European countries estimated that untreated hearing loss costs Europe 216 billion euros every year. Hearing system provision can significantly improve health and, above all, quality of life, while untreated hearing loss can lead to social isolation, depression, and premature cognitive decline-consequences that adequate provision can prevent. This overview provides a summary of the indications for and provision of a hearing system and discusses how these should be checked in terms of quality assurance in order to provide the best possible care to people with hearing loss.