Current State of Hearing Aid Clinic

Abstract

We retrospectively analyzed the data of 387 patients who had no previous experience of using hearing aids, seen between 2009 and 2013 (164 males and 223 females). The average age of the overall subject population was 77.3 years (range 34 to 96 years); gender-wise, the average age of the males was 76.5 years (range 49 to 96), while that of the females was 77.9 (range 34 to 94). Of the 387 patients, 289 purchased hearing aids, representing a purchase rate of 74.7% during the five-year period, with the rate increasing year on year. The average hearing level of the ear for which the hearing aid was used was 61.5 dBHL ((500 Hz+1000 Hz+1000 Hz+2000 Hz)/4). The average hearing level of the patients who purchased a hearing aid was 64.2 dBHL, while that of the patient who didn’t purchase a hearing aid was 52.9 dBHL, with the hearing level in the former group being significantly higher than that in the latter group (p<0.05). In all, 37 patients wore hearing aids for both ears, representing a rate of use of bilateral hearing aids of 12.8%. We had aimed at providing hearing aids on rent for approximately two months. However, the mean rental period in patients who purchased hearing aids was 88.5 days.