Survey overview
EuroTrak Germany 2012 was designed and conducted by Anovum on behalf of the European Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (EHIMA). The study included a representative screening sample of 13,922 people and detailed interviews with 1,364 people with self-reported hearing loss, comprising 500 hearing aid owners and 864 non-owners.
Hearing loss and adoption
In EuroTrak Germany 2012, 12.5% of the total population reported hearing loss, rising to 14.3% among adults aged 18 and over.
Hearing aid adoption increased to 34.0% among people with self-reported hearing loss, compared with 31.8% in 2009. Among adults with hearing loss, adoption was 34.1%. Among hearing aid owners, 66% had binaural treatment, up from 60% in 2009.
Route to hearing care
47% of respondents had undergone a hearing test within the previous five years.
Among people with self-reported hearing loss, 80% had discussed their hearing loss with an ENT doctor and/or family doctor, while 48% were recommended hearing aids by one of these professionals.
GPs mainly acted as a referral point: 73% of GP consultations resulted in referral to an ENT, while 11% resulted in a recommendation for no further action. Among ENT consultations, 31% resulted in referral to a hearing aid dispenser/audiologist, 31% in a recommendation to obtain a hearing aid and 44% in no further action.
Hearing aid use and satisfaction
Hearing aids were worn for an average of 8.0 hours per day. 61% of currently owned hearing aids had been fitted in 2009 or later, and the average age of devices was 3.0 years. The median age of hearing aids before replacement was six years.
Overall, 77% of hearing aid owners were satisfied with their devices. Satisfaction was higher among people who wore their hearing aids for longer each day and among users with more recently acquired devices.
Users reported positive effects particularly in communication and sense of safety. Hearing aid ownership was also associated with a lower reported risk of depression and forgetfulness. Among people with more significant hearing loss, owners reported less evening exhaustion than non-owners.
Reimbursement and awareness
Third-party support was widespread: 93% of hearing aid owners received full or partial reimbursement, with 66% receiving full reimbursement and 27% partial reimbursement.
Awareness among non-owners was considerably lower: 53% did not know whether insurance would contribute to the cost of hearing aids, while 14% believed it would not.
Barriers to adoption
The main reasons for not using hearing aids were believing that hearing aids would not restore hearing to normal, feeling they could still hear well enough, and concerns that hearing aids would not work well in noisy situations.
13% of non-owners intended to obtain a hearing aid within the following year. Worsening hearing loss, advice from ENT specialists, encouragement from significant others and advice from hearing care professionals were among the most important potential influences on adoption. Cost was particularly important for non-owners.
Overall, EuroTrak Germany 2012 shows increasing hearing aid adoption, high satisfaction and widespread reimbursement, while perceived benefit, perceived need and performance in difficult listening situations remained important barriers among non-owners.
Source: Anovum – EuroTrak Germany 2012.
