Alexandria, VA, September 27, 2006---The Better Hearing Institute (BHI) has published a "snapshot" assessment of some likely factors in the resurgence of Behind-the-Ear (BTE) hearing aids. Responses to an online questionnaire from BHI to selected hearing healthcare professionals around the country indicate that they believe that fit and comfort solutions, as well as reduced occlusion, are major reasons for two-year growth in this model.
According to statistics published by the Hearing Industries Association (HIA), BTE models have increased as a percentage of non-government hearing aid sales from approximately 25% of total sales in 2003 to 45% in mid-2006, reflected in HIA's most recent quarterly report released in July 2006. The Association asked BHI to informally survey a group of hearing healthcare professionals that provide guidance to BHI's information and education programs about patterns in their practices. The professionals were asked to complete a survey about the two most recent fittings they had completed with BTE hearing aids that could be termed "thin tube," "open fit," "receiver in the ear/RITE," post-auricular canal/PAC" or "on the ear/OTE." Approximately 10% of those surveyed responded, providing information about 232 purchasers.
Although the responses do not provide a randomized sample that is projectable in any way, the results do offer some interesting indications of what hearing care professionals are hearing from people with hearing losses. These professionals reported that almost 90% of these purchasers reported "less occlusion" with these BTE hearing aids and over 70% reported a preference for the fit and comfort of the newer BTEs. Other desirable factors reported by over 50% of the professionals regarding these fittings were "better sound quality" and "better benefit."
In releasing the results of the poll, HIA Executive Director Carole Rogin stated, "The unit growth in the BTE segment of the hearing aid market will be analyzed in many ways in the near term, so this snapshot is undoubtedly just the beginning. However, the results certainly do appear to confirm the indication that we have from the HIA sales figures that consumers are responding very positively to the performance, comfort and cosmetics of these new BTE confirgurations. We are, as always, appreciative of the research and data that BHI provides to the hearing aid industry."
HIA, headquartered in Alexandria, VA, is the trade association of the manufacturers of hearing aids, implantable hearing devices, assistive listening devices, component parts and power sources for amplification devices.
For more information, visit www.hearing.org
