TUCSON, ARIZONA — Hearing Health & Technology Matters (HHTM), a leading online resource for hearing professionals and consumers with hearing loss, has released the results of their 2018 Hearing Professional Dispensing Survey.
The online survey was conducted in May 2018, with the purpose of exploring professional opinion and dispensing patterns in the United States. Approximately 300 audiologists completed the 23-question survey, along with 11 non-audiologist dispensing professionals (6 Hearing Instrument Specialists and 5 classified as “other”).
Audiologists Less Concerned About OTC Hearing Aids?
The survey explored many different aspects of dispensing hearing aids, as well as opinions on topics like OTC hearing aids. In 2017, an HHTM survey found that 65% of audiologists believed OTC devices would have a negative impact on there clinic. However, one year later, our latest survey results indicate there is less anxiety surrounding this subject, as show in the graphic below:
A comparison of 2017 audiologist survey results (red) vs. 2018 survey (blue)
While it seems professionals are worrying less about OTC devices, we still find 25% are worried of the negative impact on their clinic once the devices become readily available in the US.
Interestingly, despite reservations by some, nearly 50% of respondents said they’d be willing to sell OTC hearing aids at their clinic once the devices become widely available
Most Popular Hearing Aid Brands, Pricing and Affordability, Bundling & Unbundling Services…
Among several interesting findings from this survey was professional opinion on whether hearing aids today are affordable and accessible:
More than half of all respondents believe hearing aids are not affordable or accessible for most Americans.
Access the full survey below for additional insights into topics such as: most popular hearing aid brands, average hearing aid pricing, service bundling, top referral sources, etc.
Click the image above to access survey report
