{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,27]],"date-time":"2026-02-27T02:41:34Z","timestamp":1772160094582,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,24]],"date-time":"2025-10-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761264000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,24]],"date-time":"2025-10-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761264000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Clinical Otolaryngology"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Hearing loss affects 538 million people globally. Untreated hearing loss may be compensated through speech reading. The COVID\u201019 pandemic prompted face coverings, causing communication challenges. We aim to investigate the possible impact of the COVID\u201019 outbreak era on hearing aid demand.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Study Design<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Ecological time\u2010series study.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Settings<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A health organisation with five million members.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We examined the number of patients referred for hearing aid fitting by an otolaryngologist from March 2018 to February 2024. The data were stratified into three main groups: pre\u2010pandemic (control group, 2018\u20132020), COVID\u201019 pandemic (study group 1, 2020\u20132022) and post\u2010pandemic group (study group 2, 2022\u20132024).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      A total of 97\u2009149 patients were included in the study. The yearly incidence rate of referrals for hearing aid fitting (per\u2009100\u2009000 patients) in all age groups increased in all study groups (during and post\u2010COVID) compared to the average incidence of the control group, with a notable increase in the second year of the COVID\u201019 pandemic onward. The incidence rate ratio (IRR) for the 18\u201349 age group showed the largest and most significant increase 3.16 (95% CI: 2.74, 3.65) in the second post\u2010COVID year compared to the pre\u2010COVID period (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&lt;\u20090.001). Significant increases were also observed in the 50\u201375 age group IRR: 2.10 (95% CI: 1.87, 2.36) and the 75\u2013120 age group IRR: 1.53 (95% CI: 1.35, 1.74) (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&lt;\u20090.001).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>There is a significant increase in the demand for hearing aids following the COVID\u201019 outbreak. Considering the possibility of future outbreaks and the everyday increase in face masking usage, health providers and patients should be further encouraged to pursue hearing rehabilitation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Level of Evidence<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Level 3.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/coa.70048","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,24]],"date-time":"2025-10-24T10:23:20Z","timestamp":1761301400000},"page":"262-268","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Post\u2010\n                    <scp>COVID<\/scp>\n                    \u201019 Pandemic Growth of National Hearing Aid Utilisation: A Population\u2010Based Study"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"51","author":[{"given":"Keren","family":"Oren","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology\u2010Head and Neck Surgery Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital  Ashdod Israel"},{"name":"Joyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences Ben\u2010Gurion University of the Negev  Beer\u2010Sheva Israel"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Itai","family":"Hazan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Joyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences Ben\u2010Gurion University of the Negev  Beer\u2010Sheva Israel"},{"name":"Clinical Research Center Soroka University Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben\u2010Gurion University of the Negev  Beer\u2010Sheva Israel"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Stave Edri","family":"Abikasis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Joyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences Ben\u2010Gurion University of the Negev  Beer\u2010Sheva Israel"},{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology\u2010Head and Neck Surgery Soroka Medical Center  Be'er Sheva Israel"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tomer","family":"Kerman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Joyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences Ben\u2010Gurion University of the Negev  Beer\u2010Sheva Israel"},{"name":"Clinical Research Center Soroka University Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben\u2010Gurion University of the Negev  Beer\u2010Sheva Israel"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Liron","family":"Kariv","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Communication Disorders Ariel University  Ariel Israel"},{"name":"Hearing and Language Clinic, Samson Assuta Ashdod Hospital  Ashdod Israel"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8666-3571","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Oded","family":"Cohen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology\u2010Head and Neck Surgery Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital  Ashdod Israel"},{"name":"Joyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences Ben\u2010Gurion University of the Negev  Beer\u2010Sheva Israel"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3286-9248","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Oren","family":"Ziv","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Joyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences Ben\u2010Gurion University of the Negev  Beer\u2010Sheva Israel"},{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology\u2010Head and Neck Surgery Soroka Medical Center  Be'er Sheva Israel"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_12_2_1","unstructured":"P. C.Weber D. G.Deschler andL.Kunins \u201cEtiology of Hearing Loss in Adults \u201dinUpToDate ed. T. W. Post (UpToDate 2018) https:\/\/www.uptodate.com."},{"key":"e_1_2_12_3_1","volume-title":"Hearing Loss\u2014Clinical Overview","author":"Ferri F. F. M.","year":"2022"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/13682820802090281"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/AUD.0b013e31812f7185"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/14992027.2020.1851401"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/AUD.0000000000001065"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_8_1","unstructured":"P. C.Weber D. G.Deschler andL.Kunins \u201cHearing Amplification in Adults \u201dinUpToDate ed. T. W. Post (UpToDate 2013) https:\/\/www.uptodate.com."},{"key":"e_1_2_12_9_1","first-page":"2455","volume-title":"Cummings Otolaryngology : Head and Neck Surgery","author":"Brad V. 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