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Methods| A convenience sample of participants were enrolled from the outpatients department at Cork University Hospital. Informed consent (oral) was obtained, exclusion criteria included cognitive impairment and lack of spoken English. Two authors independently reviewed the responses, coding all comments and developing an initial thematic framework. This study was approved by the Cork Clinical Research Ethics Committee.

Results| Of 100 older adults interviewed, 57 reported some degree of hearing loss, with higher rates of unilateral and bilateral loss reported by adults 80 years or older relative to all other groups (Table 1); 50% of the study population had previously undergone audiometric testing, and 26% used a hearing aid device. Forty-three adults reported having misheard a physician and/or nurse in a primary care or hospital setting, and frequency of reported mishearing did not vary according to age …