The British and Irish Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (BIHIMA) announced its inaugural conference took place over the weekend of May 11-12, welcoming over 200 delegates to Edgbaston Cricket Ground. The center point of the conference was the exclusive release of the UK data from the latest Eurotrak research (available for download here).
One of the key findings found from the research was that 71% of UK respondents to the Eurotrak survey wished they had got their hearing devices sooner. According to the BIHIMA, this is a vital message for the UK hearing industry as it highlights that hearing devices are genuinely effective, and with more education and awareness raising, it may be possible to get people earlier to transform their lives for the better.
The research also contained crucial evidence of the impact of hearing instruments on improved wellbeing; 94% of UK respondents said that hearing aids improve their quality of life. Research already published into the link between hearing loss and dementia reinforces the message that the most effective preventative measure against dementia is to address a person’s hearing loss. However, 49% of people are unaware of related health risks, which shows that more education is needed in this area.
Finally, the data also showed that adoption rates of hearing devices are high in the UK, currently at 48%, with only Denmark having a higher adoption rate, and this figure is rising year-on-year.
“Eurotrak offers invaluable insight into the UK hearing care sector, showing both areas where we are excelling and where we can improve,” said BIHIMA Chairman, Paul Surridge. “We were pleased that our conference could be the launch pad for this important research, and that the workshops helped delegates understand how they could apply the data in practice to improve their service and their levels of customer satisfaction.”
For further information, visit www.bihima.com
Source: BIHIMA
