Hearing aid uptake and usage pattern: a retrospective study

This study aims to estimate hearing aid (HA) uptake and possible hearing-related and demographic factors influencing it in tertiary care hospitals. Method: A retrospective cross-sectional study assessed the uptake and usage patterns of HAs among 6277 individuals (aged ≥10 and ≤91) with hearing loss, focusing on demographic and hearing-related factors. Key details such as type, severity, laterality and symmetry of hearing loss were recorded, along with a survey on usage patterns for those who acquired HAs.

About 8.15% (512) underwent hearing aid trial (HAT), 2.89% (182) of individuals obtained HAs from a total of 6277, while 35.54% (182) of those who participated in a HAT (512) acquired them. A multinomial logistic regression analysis examined how demographic and hearing-related factors influenced participation in HAT, procurement status and usage regularity. Results showed that older adults and those with greater hearing loss in the better ear and better speech recognition in the worse ear were more likely to undergo trials. However, older age with higher speech scores was associated with lower procurement odds. Age and audiometric factors did not significantly predict daily HA usage duration.

Hearing aid adoption was higher among trial participants than those who only received recommendations. Age and audiological factors influenced trial participation and usage, older adults with better speech scores were less likely to get HAs.