Survey overview
EuroTrak Poland 2016 was designed and conducted by Anovum on behalf of EHIMA. The study included a representative screening sample of 15,344 people and detailed interviews with 1,451 people with self-reported hearing loss, comprising 475 hearing aid owners and 976 non-owners.
Hearing loss and adoption
In EuroTrak Poland 2016, 16.0% of the total population reported hearing loss, rising to 18.3% among adults aged 18 and over. Self-reported hearing loss increased strongly with age, reaching 48.4% among people aged 74+.
Hearing aid adoption was 17.8% among people with self-reported hearing loss, with the same rate among adults aged 18+. Among hearing aid owners in the representative screening sample, 33% had binaural treatment.
Route to hearing care
41% of respondents had undergone a hearing test within the previous five years, with ENT specialists accounting for the largest share of tests at 69%.
Among people with self-reported hearing loss, 71% had discussed their hearing loss with an ENT doctor and/or family doctor, while 36% were recommended hearing aids by one of these professionals.
GPs mainly acted as a referral point: 76% of GP consultations resulted in referral to an ENT, while 13% resulted in a recommendation to take no further action. Among ENT consultations, 33% resulted in referral to an audiologist and 52% in no further action.
Hearing aid use and satisfaction
Hearing aids were worn for an average of 6.3 hours per day. 62% of currently owned hearing aids had been acquired in 2014 or later, and the average age of devices was 3.3 years.
Overall satisfaction was high, with 80% of hearing aid owners satisfied with their devices. 76% said their hearing aids worked as expected or better. Satisfaction was higher among people who wore their devices for longer each day and among those with newer hearing aids.
Users reported positive effects particularly in communication effectiveness, feelings about themselves and relationships at home. 96% said their hearing aids improved their quality of life at least sometimes.
Reimbursement and awareness
77% of hearing aid owners received some form of third-party reimbursement.
Awareness among non-owners was much lower: 56% did not know whether government or insurance would contribute to the cost of hearing aids, while 36% believed that at least some support would be available.
Barriers to adoption
Among non-owners with more significant hearing loss, the main reasons for not using hearing aids included believing they could still hear well enough, feeling that hearing loss was not severe enough, reluctance to admit hearing loss publicly and affordability. Competing priorities and concerns about discomfort were also reported.
Only 9% of non-owners intended to obtain a hearing aid within the following year. Worsening hearing loss and advice from ENT specialists were among the most important potential triggers for adoption, while price and insurance coverage were particularly important for non-owners.
Overall, EuroTrak Poland 2016 shows relatively limited hearing aid adoption alongside high satisfaction and reported quality-of-life benefits among people who use hearing aids, while perceived need, affordability and attitudes towards hearing loss remain important barriers to adoption.
Source: Anovum – EuroTrak Poland 2016.
