Patient perception of usage of hearing aids and reasons for non-compliance in the adult population

Abstract

ObjectivesTo analyze the socio-demographic data, reasons for poor compliance, post introduction follow up status & user’s satisfaction. MethodologyThis was a prospective observational study of 6-month duration with non-randomized study population selected in two centers representing both government & Private sector with inclusion criteria. Data was collected by an Audiologist via structured questionnaire during the follow up. Data analysis was done using SPSS software package. ResultsThere were 102 patients. Only 60% had good compliance, while 48% expressed strong satisfaction about HA usage. 66% were not aware of the need for follow up after prescription; hence 68% had never come for adjustments and revealed a statistically significant correlation (P- 0.01) between patients’ awareness and regular follow up. ConclusionsA significant proportion of hearing aid users did not have good compliance. This study discusses methods to improve compliance emphasizing the necessity of a well-organized follow up setup.