Workload and Costs of Audiological Assessment on Tertiary Settings: Data Analysis and Audit

Abstract

It is estimated that hearing impairment affects 850,000 people in Scotland. In a tertiary, referral centre this number reflects over 32,000 of referrals to the department of audiology per annum.

The number of referrals has increased reaching a plateau; in 2015 the number of referrals reached 32,422. The total number of hearing aid fittings carried out each year is on the rise.

Within this tertiary centre covering eight hospitals and a catchment area of 1.16 million people, the annual cost of hearing aids exceeds £1.5 million, not including repairs, batteries and accessories.

Referral to hearing aid ratio varies between different hospitals; this possibly indicates a significant impact of the socioeconomic status to hearing aid acceptance/ provision/ follow up appointments.

The consistently high numbers are likely to place a substantial burden upon the workload within the tertiary centre itself and have corresponding financial implications upon the NHS budget.

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