Aim: Hearing loss affects a significant proportion of the global population, yet the uptake of hearing aids remains low despite their demonstrated benefits. Prior systematic reviews have identified strong predictors of hearing aid uptake including self-perceived hearing loss, degree of hearing loss, attitudes, psychological factors, technology use, and ethnicity. Inconsistent predictors were mostly demographic in nature. This study aimed to update the literature by identifying additional factors that influence hearing aid uptake in adults with sensorineural hearing loss.

Method: English language articles were identified by structured searches in UC library, Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, The Cochrane Library, ERIC and CINAHL from 2011 to 2022. Data were extracted by two independent researchers.

Result: Fifteen studies (four qualitative and eleven quantitative) were included in this systematic review, with a total sample size ranging from 9 to 24,842 individuals. The majority of the studies were conducted in Western countries, with only two conducted in Asian countries. The results confirm previous findings, with self-perceived hearing loss and degree of hearing loss being significant predictors; and age, health, mental health, gender, socioeconomic status, education level, and marital status being the inconsistent predictors of hearing aid uptake. Additionally, new predictors were identified, such as culture, speech discrimination, the audiologist's behavior and the time of the audiology appointment, job demand, and autonomous motivation.

Discussion: The findings of this study provide valuable guidance for shaping the clinical practices of audiologists. It is recommended that audiologists adopt a client-centred approach that prioritizes effective communication and positive clinician-client relationships. However, the study has several limitations, including the fact that it only reviewed English-language articles, the average age of the participants was above 60, and randomized controlled trials were not included. Future research should focus on investigating hearing aid uptake in developing countries, young adults, and conducting randomized controlled trial experiments.