Oticon has published the results of a new international patient survey that shows Intiga RITE meets first-time users’ expectations in everyday use, delivering immediate acceptance and immediate benefits, according to the company.

This latest Oticon Intiga satisfaction survey confirms the findings found in an early clinical study of Intiga use among first-time users conducted at Towson University in the United States and The Hörzentrum in Germany. (See “Meeting the First-Time User Challenge” in the December 2011 issue of The Hearing Review.)

End-users participating in the new survey report high satisfaction with Intiga, giving high marks for Intiga’s discreetness, performance, and acceptance. Oticon also credits its speech understanding, natural sound quality, and easy handling for why end-users choose Intiga and why it  inspires them to recommend it to others.

The earlier 2011 clinical study followed new users through the first month of their Intiga experience. The new Intiga Satisfaction Survey takes a broader look at Intiga in everyday use, gathering feedback from 111 end-users (75% new users) and 243 hearing care professionals from seven countries. Both first-time users and experienced users participating in the survey are very satisfied with Intiga, rating their new hearing instruments an 8.6 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being best.

On average, survey participants rate Intiga’s speech understanding 3.4 points higher in quiet environments, and 3.9 points higher in noise when wearing Intiga as compared to listening without hearing instruments. Additionally, 85% rate Intiga’s sound quality as “very natural,” and Intiga’s design earned a 10 from more than half of the survey participants.

Comfort in the ear and handling ease also ranked high, indicating participants satisfaction with Intiga’s fully automatic, button-free design. 92% of first-time users find it very easy to get used to Intiga’s handling, sound quality and comfort. Survey participants also indicated that if they had to choose again today, 88% would choose Intiga.

The 243 hearing care professionals participating in the survey share their clients’ positive perception of Intiga, rating it a strong 8.2. Easy first fit and highly satisfied users who perceive immediate acceptance and immediate benefits are important contributing factors to the high marks, said Oticon.

Based on overall experience with other hearing instruments, hearing care professionals report that they are highly satisfied with Intiga and value the connectivity solutions available with Intiga. The hearing care professionals report that it is easy or very easy to achieve a successful first fit with first-time users. Key benefits, including easy to explain and easy to achieve successful first fit with first-time users, earned high 8.2 ratings.

The majority of hearing care professionals (88%) indicated that their clients are highly satisfied with Intiga. Perhaps not surprisingly, hearing care professionals taking the survey also indicated that they are very likely to recommend Intiga to colleagues.

More detailed information documenting this survey can be downloaded in the white paper, "Oticon Intiga Satisfaction Survey 2012" here.

SOURCE: Oticon