The Hearing Loss Association of America applauds a new report issued by the National Academies, which documents the critical nature of hearing loss and provides 12 recommendations that underscore hearing loss as a significant public health concern.
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The authors describe the methodology associated with the world’s largest consumer market surveys on hearing aids and hearing loss, and report their findings with a focus on the “non-auditory benefits” of hearing aids, including quality of life, relationships at home and work, independence, and mental health.
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When exposure to noise or music occurs, the Temporary Hearing Loss Test app addresses the important issue of whether there has been a temporary threshold shift (TTS) or not, and if so, how much, providing invaluable long-term prevention information.
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HR Editor Karl Strom considers what the FDA can do in the wake of its recent GMP workshop, the PCAST recommendations, and impending report from the IOM. Would these proposals lead to more innovation, affordability and accessibility for consumers…or represent a giant step backward?
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This year’s AudiologyNOW! AAA event, said to be the largest annual gathering of audiologists in the world, attracted 3,408 audiologists and featured a wealth of instructional sessions and workshops at the Phoenix Convention Center.
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Audiology Systems, a US distributor of GN Otometrics products and other leading audiology and vestibular equipment, has added the I-Portal® rotary chair by Neuro Kinetics Inc (NKI) to its portfolio of balance products.
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On April 21, 2016, the FDA held a Public Workshop on “Streamlining Good Manufacturing Practices for Hearing Aids,” which also examined recommendations by PCAST to deregulate hearing aids.
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The Hearing Review makes it a little easier for convention attendees to get the information they seek by providing this guide to the 2016 AudiologyNOW! Convention, April 13-16, which includes a schedule of events and a list of exhibitor booths in the exhibit hall.
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Dr Chasin argues that the PCAST category of a “basic” hearing aid for mild-to-moderate hearing loss was misnamed, and should be “hearing aids for conductive hearing loss.” With a conductive hearing loss, an OTC “reading glasses approach” might work, but a sensorineural hearing loss is entirely different.
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The fourth quarter (Q4) of 2015 marked strong growth for the private sector, with an 8.2% increase in sales compared to Q4 2014. The VA increased its dispensing activity by 2.3%. Total hearing aid unit sales grew by 7.0% in Q4 2015. What is not known is how much private sector growth can be attributed to the market gains of low-cost retailers like Costco.
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David Smriga points out that OTC/DTC hearing aids have their place, but for the majority of adults with mild-to-moderate age-related hearing losses, a guided process including fitting verification and auditory rehabilitation is needed to achieve maximum benefit with amplification. Consumers should be directed toward professional care practices that offer these services, not away from them. Read the point-by-point argument against the PCAST’s recent conclusions.
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The FDA has reopened the comment period regarding its Draft Guidance document. A revised Guidance should further clarify the regulatory distinctions between hearing aids and PSAPs. An FDA workshop on GMPs is scheduled for April 21 at FDA headquarters.
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The Hearing Industries Association (HIA) has issued a formal response to the October report of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). The PCAST report to President Obama contained its recommendations relating to hearing aid technology and consumer hearing products.
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On October 26, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released its official report to the President about hearing technologies and mild-to-moderate hearing loss in older adults. Since then, several key stakeholders have weighed in on the implications of the PCAST report with responses ranging from outright opposition to full support. Brian Taylor’s blog summarizes initial comments from stakeholders in the hearing healthcare field.
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In giving qualified support to the PCAST recommendations, ADA is the first among the hearing care professional organizations to publicly endorse, at least in principle, the PCAST’s report to the president. However, ADA listed a number of important qualifications emphasizing the importance of the audiologists’ role in hearing evaluation and diagnostics, dispensing, and aural rehabilitation, as well as some necessary standards for PSAPs, entry-level devices, and hearables.
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