Referrals to a hearing aid clinic: scope for improvement.

This study followed on from a recent national publicity campaign aiming to get earlier provision of hearing aids for elderly people, improve both patient and general practitioner awareness of hearing impairments and increase knowledge of alternative environmental aids among sufferers. The study intended to examine present patterns of patient presentation and general practitioner management within a major Scottish city. A random sample of patients over the age of 55 years referred to a hearing aid clinic were questioned on the nature of their hearing difficulty. Patients who attended their general practitioner at the suggestion of a relative were less likely to be referred at their initial visit and significantly less likely to have had their ears syringed than those who were self-motivated. Respondents had little knowledge of alternatives to hearing aids, although these are relevant to the disability experienced by the majority of these subjects.