Transcript MarkeTrak V Hearing Aid Industry Market Tracking Survey

MarkeTrak V:
“Why My Hearing Aids Are in
the Drawer”
Sergei Kochkin, Ph.D.
Knowles Electronics, Inc.
February 2002
Methodology
• Knowles has conducted national surveys of
U.S. Hearing aid Market since 1989.
• National family opinion panel
80,000 households
13,492 hearing-impaired households
• Detailed questionnaire 2,720 hearing aid
owners.
• Response rate 83%
Methodology
• Consumers who own a hearing aid but
NEVER wear it = hearing aid in the drawer.
• Hearing aids in drawer = 16.2%
respondents.
• Told to explain why non-use in MarkeTrak
survey.
• Received 348 letters.
• Content coding yielded 567 comments.
Percent in drawer
Hearing Aids in the Drawer are
Related to Age of the Instrument
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
5
8
14
15
20
23
20
29
36
32
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10+
Age of hearing aid (years)
907,120 Customers do not Use
Their Hearing Instruments
120
325,000 1-4 years
100
80
Volume
60
(000)
40
20
0
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Age of hearing aid (years)
Reasons for Non-Use
• Poor benefit (30%) - 268,507
Reasons for Non-Use
Poor Benefit
• “I threw it away it was worthless to me”
• “I don’t see much difference with them. I feel I
was sold one under false pretense. Don’t feel I
really needed one”
• “There is no improvement in my hearing with the
aids. Where there is a slight improvement in my
hearing, it is minimal.”
Reasons for Non-Use
Poor Benefit
• “I don’t wear the aids at all. The problems
appears to be clarity of words. Volume is
OK but I can’t distinguish words”
• “I have not been able to wear the H.A.
since the day I received it. It was made
wrong and the Company said there was
nothing wrong with it.”
Reasons for Non-Use
Poor Benefit
• “It is not worth the trouble or expense for the
small difference in hearing. I wish I had my
money back.”
• “_____ aims at taking old people’s money for
little value.”
• “All the aids do is amplify the sound that I
can’t discriminate with an aid in the ear.”
Reasons for Non-Use
Poor Benefit
• “When ______sold me the H.A., I was
confident it would help me hear better.
When I received it and wore it every day, it
did not make my hearing any better. So, I
don’t wear the HA and feel like I wasted
my money. I tried to return it and the
person did not seem to want to help me. I
am quite dissatisfied with the whole
experience.”
Reasons for Non-Use
Poor Benefit
• “I can’t hear high pitch sounds with the
behind the ear model.”
• “H.A.s amplify everything but human
voices which is what you need to hear.”
• “____plugs are not worth the price.”
Reasons for Non-Use
• #1. Poor benefit (30%) - 268,507
• #2. Background noise (25%) - 229,383
Reasons for Non-Use
Background Noise
• “I will not wear my H.A. because it increases
background noise. And therefore, after a
while I get a headache and get somewhat
nervous.”
• “It catches all the sound on the road, TV, etc
at the same time.”
• “Background noise is distracting.”
Reasons for Non-Use
Background Noise
• “H.A.s don’t work when there is a lot of
background noise. This is when you need
them to work.”
• “Background noise really drives him crazy.”
• “My problem is with background noise. All
my H.A.s do is amplify so they are of little
help.”
Reasons for Non-Use
Background Noise
• “I don’t wear my H.A. because I need it at a
dance, restaurants, and large groups. All
the H.A. does is increase all sound
including background sounds. No help.”
• “Sudden loud noise is a killer.”
• “H.A. amplify other sounds so much that I
actually feel pain.”
Reasons for Non-Use
Background Noise
• “If someone drops a spoon on the table it
is like a rifle going off.”
• “Hate them. They don’t work for me. All
sounds are amplified. Never knew there
were so many. I can’t adjust the H.A.
constantly to every noise.”
Reasons for Non-Use
• #1. Poor benefit (30%) - 268,507
• #2. Background noise (25%) - 229,383
• #3. Fit & Comfort (19%) - 169,431
Reasons for Non-Use
Fit & Comfort
• “My hearing aids are too big for my ears.”
• “It is uncomfortable and my wife says I
don’t listen to her anyway.”
• “It hurts my ears.”
• “I do not like the feel of it in my ear.”
Reasons for Non-Use
Fit & Comfort
• “I don’t wear my H.A. because they plug up
my ears and feel uncomfortable.”
• “My H.A. has the tendency to fall out when
I am working hard in hot weather.”
• “It’s hard to keep it in my ear. I travel for
business a lot and can’t risk it falling out of
my ear.”
Reasons for Non-Use
•
•
•
•
#1. Poor benefit (30%) - 268,507
#2. Background noise (25%) - 229,383
#3. Fit & Comfort (19%) - 169,431
#4. Negative side effects (11%) - 99,048
Reasons for Non-Use
Negative Side-effects
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ears that hurt
Too much pressure in the ears
Blisters in ears
Rashes in ears
Itching ears
Dizzy
Nervous
Reasons for Non-Use
Negative Side-effects
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ears that sweat
Builds up wax in inner ear
Headache
Hair gets caught in hearing aid
Infections in ear
Problems chewing or swallowing
Plugs up ears
Reasons for Non-Use
•
•
•
•
•
#1. Poor benefit (30%) - 268,507
#2. Background noise (25%) - 229,383
#3. Fit & Comfort (19%) - 169,431
#4. Negative side effects (11%) - 99,048
#5. Price & cost (10%) - 93,839
Reasons for Non-Use
Price & Cost
• “I bought the H.A. when I was teaching. I
had trouble hearing student’s questions.
Since retiring I have stopped using them.
They were costing too much for what good
I was able to get from them.”
• “Programmable H.A. would be desirable
but they cost too much.”
Reasons for Non-Use
Price & Cost
• “My current H.A. are broken & I am
unable to afford the cost of a replacement.
They are too old for service.”
• The expense of owning and maintaining
are too great.
• HMO does not cover for HA. Price is high.
Reasons for Non-Use
Price & Cost
• “I enjoyed my H.A., but they burned up in a
house fire and I can’t afford another one.”
• “I wish an aid would be developed to allow us
to hear natural sound and an aid with a
reasonable price.”
• “If I could afford it, I would buy a different
brand.”
Reasons for Non-Use
Price & Cost
• “My H.A. was never dependable. Taking it
in for an adjustment was only a headache
as it never performed very long. Had to be
looked at again. The last time I had
trouble, the office wanted to send it to
_____ at $200 & just to check it, plus
another $200 to repair it.”
Reasons for Non-Use
•
•
•
•
•
#1. Poor benefit (30%) - 268,507
#2. Background noise (25%) - 229,383
#3. Fit & Comfort (19%) - 169,431
#4. Negative side effects (11%) - 99,048
#5. Price & cost (10%) - 93,839
• #6. Don’t need help (8%) - 72,987
Reasons for Non-Use
Don’t Need Help
• “I work and live alone and do not need the
aid most of the time.”
• “I had an operation on my right ear and I
can hear better again.”
• “I don’t talk to anyone during the day.”
Reasons for Non-Use
Don’t Need Help
• “I can hear most everything without
H.A.s”
• I feel I was sold under false pretense. I
don’t feel I really needed one.”
• “Don’t wear very often since my hearing
loss is only 35 degrees.”
Reasons for Non-Use
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
#1. Poor benefit (30%) - 268,507
#2. Background noise (25%) - 229,383
#3. Fit & Comfort (19%) - 169,431
#4. Negative side effects (11%) - 99,048
#5. Price & cost (10%) - 93,839
#6. Don’t need help (8%) - 72,987
#7. Broke or does not work (8%) - 68,814
Reasons for Non-Use
Broke or does not Work
• “After a year, the H.A. is down. I can’t
afford to repair them.”
• “Because it doesn’t work. ______ refused
to do anything. The man that sold it to me
has been fired.”
• “It does not work right.”
Reasons for Non-Use
Broke or does not Work
• “I don’t wear it because after the warranty
expired it got broken. It would cost $1,200
to replace it, so I quit wearing it.”
• “The housing is currently broken and will
have to be glued back together. This is the
fourth time it has broken.”
Reasons for Non-Use
Broke or does not Work
• “It seems as if the aids were in the shop for
repair more than in my ear. They are still
not adjusted correctly for my comfort level.
The cost of the repairs were too much. It
is easier to go without them and have
everyone speak louder.”
• “I have 2 H.A.s that don’t work. It costs
$200 a piece cash to have them fixed.”
Reasons for Non-Use
• #8. Sound quality (6%) - 57,329
Reasons for Non-Use
Sound Quality
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
“Never got true sound clarity I wanted”
Uncomfortable sound
Sound of crickets
Unnatural
Distorted
Slight hiss
Tinny
Picks up wind
Reasons for Non-Use
Sound Quality
•
•
•
•
•
Chewing and swallowing noise
Poor fidelity
“Can’t stand sound of my voice”
Hollow sound
Aversiveness of sounds (running water,
sharp sounds)
Reasons for Non-Use
• #8. Sound quality (6%) - 57,329
• #9. Won’t wear - unspecified (6%) - 57,556
• #10. Volume control adjust. (5%) - 44,314
Reasons for Non-Use
Volume Control Adjustments
• “I have trouble adjusting the sound.”
• “Hard to adjust. Every time the phone
rings I have to adjust the volume.”
• “They need adjusting, because the
background noises are annoying.”
Reasons for Non-Use
Volume Control Adjustments
• “They are a bother having to turn up &
down too often.”
• “The volume never stays at setting.”
• “I can’t adjust H.A. constantly to every
noise.”
Reasons for Non-Use
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
#8. Sound quality (6%) - 57,329
#9. Won’t wear - unspecified (6%) - 57,556
#10. Volume control adjust. (5%) - 44,314
#11. Whistling & feedback (4%) - 39,100
#12. Nuisance / hassle (4%) -38,371
#13. Poor service (3%) - 28,673
#14. High frequency Loss (3%) - 26,067
Reasons for Non-Use
•
•
•
•
•
#15. Stigma of wearing (3%) - 26,037
#16. Profound hearing loss (3%) - 23,460
#17. Work in limited situations (3%)-23,460
#18. Uncomfortably loud (2%) - 27,114
#19. Battery life (2%) - 19,186
Reasons for Non-Use
1% or less of mentions
• Does not work on
phone
• Monaural aids
inadequate
• Expectations not met
• Has Tinnitus
• Manual dexterity
• Forget to use
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Family pressure
Feels like ear plugs
Poor directivity
Low gain
Lost hearing aids
Ear wax problem
Rare social user
Key Findings
• 907k inactive hearing aid owners in the United
States.
• Key reasons:
Poor benefit
Background noise
Fit and comfort
Cost
Negative side effects
Hearing aids broke
Dispenser does have control over hearing
aids in the drawer
• # 1. Poor benefit:
Use programmable technology (analog or DSP)
Pre-post benefit measurement
Real ear measurement
90 day post fitting customer satisfaction survey.
100% money back guarantee
Aural rehabilitation
• Significant impact on hearing aid
satisfaction.
• Return rates been shown to be cut in half.
Dispenser does have control over hearing
aids in the drawer
• # 2. Hearing in noise
100% use of dual microphones – not just in
high-end product
DSP for comfort in noise
Volume control necessary for some segments
Manual omni/directional switch necessary for
some consumers
Binaural fitting for bilateral loss customers
(85% rate in US- much lower in Europe)
Deep-fitting CICs give some benefit.
Aural rehabilitation
Dispenser does have control over hearing
aids in the drawer
• #3. Fit and Comfort
Extreme vigilance during impression taking.
• Multiple shell impressions if necessary with
“best” going to the manufacturer.
• Silicone material considered superior.
Explore emerging soft shell technology for
difficult cases.
Rework within office.
Assess manual dexterity and visual acuity
considerations relative to hearing aid style.
14 or 30 day trial post-fitting subjective
measure of fit and comfort.