LONDON–Thirty-nine percent of people in the United Kingdom who consult their primary-care physician about a hearing loss go no further to seek a solution, according to a study reported this week by the British Hearing Aid Manufacturers Association (BHAMA).
The EuroTrak United Kingdom study asked 15,000 consumers about their hearing and their knowledge of hearing aids in the most comprehensive such survey ever conducted in the country. The findings are expected to provide invaluable data for general practitioners, the National Health Service, and hearing healthcare providers.
Lawrence Werth, chairman of BHAMA, said, “39% is a disappointing figure because it means millions are battling with isolation, withdrawal, problems at work, depression, low self-esteem and a host of other negative consequences reported by recent other studies.”
Adrian Davis, national director for the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme and the leading epidemiologist of hearing impairment in the UK, said, “The very large numbers of people who have hearing problems and are not being referred for hearing tests or to see an audiologist by their GP, is an issue that deserves further investigation.”
