title: Bone-anchored hearing aids in conductive and mixed hearing losses: why do patients reject them?
abstract: This study aimed to report the bone-anchored hearing aid uptake rate and the reasons for their rejection by patients with conductive and mixed hearing losses. A retrospective review was performed of 113 consecutive patients with unilateral or bilateral conductive or mixed hearing loss referred to the Greater Manchester bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) programme between September 2008 and August 2011. 98 (86.7 %) patients were deemed audiologically suitable for BAHA implantation. Of these, 38 (38.8 %) had BAHA implanted; 60 (61.2 %) patients declined. Of those who declined, 27 (45 %) cited anxiety over surgery, 18 (30 %) cited cosmetic reasons, 16 (26.7 %) perceived limited benefit from the device and six (10 %) preferred conventional hearing aids. Our study highlights a 38.8 % BAHA uptake rate in audiologically suitable patients. The main reasons cited for rejection of BAHA were anxiety over surgery and cosmetic concerns. It is important that clinicians address these early during consultation with prospective BAHA recipients and avoid rushing to implant these patients with a bone-anchored hearing aid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital of South Manchester, Manchester, UK. richardsiau@doctors.org.uk.|ENT Department, Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport, UK. richardsiau@doctors.org.uk.
authors.forename: Richard T K
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Siau
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Education, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Baljeet
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dhillon
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital of South Manchester, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Derrick
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Siau
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Central Manchester NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK.|University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Kevin M J
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Green
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids / Q000523:psychology*; D006314:Hearing Loss, Conductive / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D046089:Hearing Loss, Mixed Conductive-Sensorineural / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000523:psychology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Adult; BAHA; Hearing aids; Hearing loss; Prostheses and implants; Satisfaction