Hearing loss is common. Over 10 000 000 people in the UK have a level of loss in their better ear of 25 dB or more; one-in-six of the population. Of these, 3 700 000 are of working age (16–64 years) and 6 300 000 million are 65 years or older. Although the average GP will see at least four patients with some form of hearing loss every day, many GPs feel under-equipped to manage patients with hearing loss, and many patients with hearing loss report a reduced quality of consultation.
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