EuroTrak Switzerland 2012: hearing aid adoption, satisfaction and access to care
Survey overview
EuroTrak Switzerland 2012 was designed and conducted by Anovum on behalf of HSM Switzerland. The study included a representative screening sample of 14,836 people and detailed interviews with 1,327 people with self-reported hearing loss, comprising 514 hearing aid owners and 813 non-owners.
Hearing loss and adoption
In EuroTrak Switzerland 2012, 8.8% of the total population reported hearing loss, rising to 10.5% among adults aged 18 and over. Self-reported hearing loss increased strongly with age, reaching 35.9% among people aged 74+.
Hearing aid adoption was 38.8% among people with self-reported hearing loss and 39.1% among adults with hearing loss. Among hearing aid owners in the representative screening sample, 73% had binaural treatment. Adoption increased substantially with the severity of hearing loss.
Route to hearing care
Around 39% of respondents had undergone a hearing test within the previous five years.
Among people with self-reported hearing loss, 73% had discussed their hearing loss with an ENT doctor and/or family doctor, while 44% received positive medical advice or a recommendation for further action from one of these professionals.
GPs and ENT specialists played important roles in the hearing-care pathway. 59% of GP consultations resulted in referral to an ENT, while 22% resulted in a recommendation to take no action. Among ENT consultations, 41% resulted in referral to an audiologist and 26% in a recommendation or prescription for a hearing aid.
Hearing aid use and satisfaction
Hearing aids were worn for an average of 8.3 hours per day. 60% of currently owned hearing aids had been fitted in 2009 or later, and the average age of devices was 3.1 years.
Overall satisfaction was high, with 84% of hearing aid owners satisfied with their devices. Satisfaction was higher among people who wore their hearing aids for longer each day and among those with more recently acquired devices.
Users reported positive effects across a range of areas, particularly communication, participation in group activities and sense of safety. Hearing aid ownership was also associated with a lower reported risk of depression and forgetfulness compared with untreated hearing loss.
Reimbursement and awareness
Financial support was widespread: 89% of hearing aid owners received some form of third-party reimbursement.
Awareness among non-owners was lower. 37% did not know whether insurance would contribute to the cost of hearing aids, while 15% believed that it would not.
Barriers to adoption
The main reasons reported for not using hearing aids included believing that hearing was still good enough, feeling that hearing loss was not severe enough, and concerns that hearing aids would not perform well in noisy situations.
Only 7% of non-owners intended to obtain a hearing aid within the following year. Worsening hearing loss, advice from ENT specialists and audiologists, and encouragement from significant others were among the most important potential triggers for adoption.
Overall, EuroTrak Switzerland 2012 shows high satisfaction and substantial daily use among hearing aid owners, alongside continued barriers to hearing aid adoption and gaps in awareness of financial support.
Source: Anovum – EuroTrak Switzerland 2012.
