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Objective: To evaluate uptake of the internet-based hearing test, with respect to the 11% of UK adults that have hearing loss but do not use hearing aids., Design: Feasibility study in a primary care practice in the North of England., Study Sample: Adults aged 50-74 years were sent postal invitations to complete an internet hearing test ( N  = 600). Those who completed the test, those who failed (>35 dB HL in the better ear) and demographic correlates (age, gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic level) were recorded., Results: 11.2% of invited adults completed the hearing test and 7.7% failed it. Those who took the test tended to have a higher socioeconomic background than those who did not. There were no differences in age, ethnicity or gender between those who took the test and those who did not., Conclusions: An estimated 70% (7.7%/11.0%) of adults with hearing loss but who do not use hearing aids took the test. Uptake was equitable across most demographic categories. Uptake was high among a study sample that was substantially more deprived than the general UK population. Internet-based hearing testing offers an efficient paradigm for identifying hearing loss.

Objective: To conduct a systematic review of the evidence in relation to what hearing healthcare professionals do during hearing aid consultations and identifying which behaviours promote hearing aid use and benefit among adult patients., Design: Searches were performed in electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar. The Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool and Melnyk Levels of Evidence were used to assess quality and level of evidence of eligible studies. Behaviours of hearing healthcare professionals were summarised descriptively., Study Sample: 17 studies met the inclusion criteria., Results: Twelve studies described behaviours of audiologists and five studies were intervention studies. Audiologists were typically task- or technically-oriented and/or dominated the interaction during hearing aid consultations. Two intervention studies suggested that use of motivational interviewing techniques by audiologists may increase hearing aid use in patients., Conclusions: Most studies of clinicians' behaviours were descriptive, with very little research linking clinician behaviour to patient outcomes. The present review sets the research agenda for better-controlled intervention studies to identify which clinician behaviours better promote patient hearing aid outcomes and develop an evidence base for best clinical practice.