%0 Journal Article
%T Determinants of Department of Veterans Affairs hearing aid brand dispensing by individual audiologists
%A Earl E. Johnson
%A AuD
%A PhD
%J Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development
%D 2011
%I Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, Department of Veterans Affairs
%X Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) audiologists were surveyed regarding their perceptions and evaluations of hearing aid (HA) brands on seven factors previously published in peer-reviewed research as important to the HA brand preference decision of audiologists. One of the seven factors formed a distinct dimension of brand differentiation based on Contract Pricing (dimension 1). Brand perceptions for the other six factors were highly correlated with one another; this dimension of correlated perceptions was labeled Propensity to Dispense Based on a Gestalt Percept (dimension 2). That is, a direct relation exists between the collective perception of HA brand and its likelihood of being dispensed. These two dimensions accounted for 93.1% of the variance in the perceived differences among the HA brands surveyed. Joint-space mapping was used to model the effect of altering perceptions on VA HA brand dispensing. Results indicate that few VA audiologists (7.7%) dispense HA brands in majority association with contract pricing. Instead, the vast majority (77%) form brand preferences in majority association with their individualized perceptions.
%K audiologist
%K brand
%K contract
%K hearing aid
%K joint-space
%K mapping
%K perception
%K preference
%K pricing
%K VA
%U http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/11/487/pdf/johnson487.pdf