[Hearing aid fitting in children treated at the Phoniatric Outpatient Clinic in Zabrze in years 1986-1990].
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hearing aid fitting of 179 regularly controlled, hearing-disabled children from the Silesian area, first time admitted to Phoniatric Outpatient Clinic in Zabrze in years 1986-1990. The mean age of provision of a hearing aid was high. Children were supplied with hearing aids at mean age of 4,9 years (losses > 60 dB) and of 9,3 years (losses < or = 60 dB). There was a delay from 8,4 up to 12,5 months (losses < or = 60 dB) between the age of fitting and the issue of the hearing aid. It was also stated that the total amount of children wearing their aids binaurally decreased significantly from 118 to 74 during 5 years' period. As for the utilisation of hearing aids, prevalence of full-time users (57.9%) was demonstrated in confrontation to non-users (5.6%).