How Successful is the Fitting of Digital Hearing Aids? Implications for the Allocation of Resources within National Health Systems

Abstract

We conducted a retrospective study to determine the success rate of initial fittings in digital hearing aid (DHA) users. We also addressed the implications of national health systems’ continuing to provide access to these devices. We identified 1,597 consecutively presenting adults who had undergone a first fitting or a new fitting (i.e., an upgrade from an analogue hearing aid in the first or second ear) of a behind-the-ear DHA during the previous year. We further sought to identify all nominal reprogram appointments that had taken place within 6 months after the first or new fitting, we found 460 such appointments (28.8%). Of these, 419 appointments had been for typical reasons other than patient dissatisfaction with the fitting itself—for example, poor hearing, a further hearing loss, an uncomfortably loud hearing aid level, difficulty with speech in noise, an imbalance between bilateral hearing aids, and a faulty or lost hearing aid. Only 41 of the 1,597 first or new fittings (2.6%) were considered unsatisfactory by patients and necessitated a follow-up reprogramming appointment. Overall, DHA fittings were generally successful, as most patients (1,137/1,597 [71.2%]) did not require any follow-up appointment during the study period. Principles of cost-effectiveness demand the maximum practicable efficiency in the utilization of resources to ensure the continuous delivery of high-quality audiologic services through national health systems. This can be achieved by scheduling group appointments to reduce costs and to increase the time allocated to fitting and training patients.