Elderly population, which is prone to several hearing ailments, is increasing. According to the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, the number of people of age 65 and above is expected to increase to 1.5 billion by 2050. As per the estimates of the National Institute on Deafness, in the US, ~1 in 3 people belonging to age group 65–74 have hearing loss, and ~50% of these people are older than 75 and have difficulty hearing. The National Institute on Deafness & Other Communication Disorders states that at least 10 million adults in the US (i.e., 6%) are aged 70 or below and 40 million (i.e., 24%) have hearing loss in one or both ears, caused by exposure to noise. The elderly people are more likely to have hearing disability than younger people, and the effect of the disease on quality of life is particularly deep in this population. With an increase in geriatric population, the prevalence of the hearing disorders has increased, thereby propelling the demand for hearing diagnostic tools, including medical audiometer devices.
Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, the healthcare institutions have witnessed a decrease in inpatient visits to clinics to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 in the first and second quarters of 2020. As per the recent study by CDC, the number of medical emergency department (ED) visits has declined 42% during the early COVID-19. As a result, the number of elective procedures such as audiometric examinations performed per week in hospitals and clinics has decreased over time. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the hearing healthcare practices, and those with hearing loss around the region. Social distancing has made it extremely difficult to diagnose patients accordingly and provide them with the support needed. However, market players have adopted an innovative approach of tele-audiology solutions to deal with hearing loss patients. For instance, Satellite Tele-Audiology Solutions, part of the Inventis company, is said to be the first technology of its kind. This technology allows audiologists to interact and remotely perform complete hearing assessments on their patients in real time. The ANSI-certified audiometer with an embedded audio-video platform gives the professional the control needed to interact, while testing and maintaining social distancing with patient. The testing software has a built-in video conferencing system (via App) that helps make it easy for the patient to be tested. Such developments carried out by the leading market players has resulted in the minimal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical audiometer devices market.