Deafness

Abstract

Hearing loss is common. There are more than 10 million people in the UK with some form of hearing loss, making up one-in-six of the population. Of these, 3.7 million are of working age (16–64 years) and 6.3 million are of retirement age (65 years or greater). Therefore, it should be no surprise that the average GP will see at least four patients with hearing loss every day. However, many GPs still feel under-equipped to manage patients with hearing loss and many patients with hearing loss report receiving a reduced quality of consultation as a result.