This study, forming part of the Public Health Status and Forecast 2002 produced by the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands, describes the state of the art on hearing aids and implants, as well as future possibilities for their use. The number of people using a hearing aid is expected to rise 40 % over the next 20 years. Present hearing aids are limited in their capacity for allowing the wearer to hear in noisy surroundings, and in directional hearing and feedback reduction. These features will be available in 20 years time using digital technology and taking advantage of improvements in audiologic expertise. Deaf people can regain sound perception using a "cochlear implant", which directly stimulates the nerve cells in the cochlea, showing good results. For people who are hearing impaired with a well-functioning cochlea, but unable to use a conventional hearing aid, there is a bone-conduction hearing aid. A bone-conduction implant has been used in the Netherlands for 12 years with good results. Another implant, directly connected to the ossicles, is being tested clinically on people with a functioning inner ear but cochlear loss. The last part of this report focuses on the health status and care of the hearing impaired.

Website: RIVM Rapport 605910003