First published 09 January 2020
15.1% of Poles say that they have a hearing loss, according to a survey.
15.1% of Poles say that they have a hearing loss. Among adult Poles aged 18 or older, 17.4% say they have a hearing loss. Only around one in five of those who say they have a hearing loss use hearing aids, according to the EuroTrak Poland 2019 survey.
The number of people who think they have a hearing loss is higher in Poland compared to other countries where similar EuroTrak surveys have been carried out, such as Germany, France, United Kingdom and Italy. On average, one in ten in Europe have a hearing loss.
Hearing aids
In the survey, 21.4% of those who say they have a hearing loss said that they used hearing instruments. This is lower than in the surveys carried out in the other European countries where typically between 30% and 40% of those who say they have a hearing loss use hearing aids.
42% of all hearing aid users in Poland use two hearing aids. This figure is also lower than in other European countries, where around 75% of those who use hearing aids wear hearing aids in both ears.
Hearing aids make everyday life and work easier. 90% of the hearing aid users report that hearing aids are helpful in their job and 76% feel more confident moving around in a city.
70% of all hearing aid owners in the survey said that they should have got their hearing aids sooner. The main reasons for this are better mental and emotional health and a better social life. Overall, hearing instrument users report a higher quality of life than hard of hearing people with an untreated hearing loss.
Hearing tests
43% of the participants in the survey said that they had had a hearing test within the last five years. Most of the test are carried out by an ENT.
Reimbursement
74% of those with hearing aids in Poland received some kind of 3rd party reimbursement. But only 34% of those who say that they have a hearing loss and who live without hearing aids think that a third party would pay for any part of the hearing aids.
About the survey
EuroTrak Poland 2019 was designed and carried out by the Swiss analysis firm Anovum on behalf of the European Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (EHIMA) to measure hearing loss prevalence and hearing aids usage. The survey consisted of around 15,000 interviews.
Source: www.ehima.com