Active noise cancellation and LE Audio are examples of two important technical innovations that may help transform OTC hearing aids, allowing for improved own-voice perception and more numerous streaming options for consumers, respectively. Other enhancements like inertial and biometric sensors also show promise for widening the market for amplication devices.
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The COM-B model provides a framework for understanding factors that influence consumer behavior when purchasing hearing aids. While OTC hearing aids have been created to address affordability and accessibility, researchers Brent Edwards and Melanie Ferguson point out that the model clearly suggests consumers will continue to reject hearing aids until the other influencing factors are addressed.
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What personal and technological factors will influence consumers’ success with self-fitting OTC hearing devices? Researcher Elizabeth Convery, PhD, looks at recent studies suggesting that OTC manufacturers and providers must address a range of important personal and device factors before self-fitting can become a viable option for adults with hearing loss.
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With the current and future changes in hearing healthcare, we have a newfound opportunity and increased flexibility for individualized care. Whether we are considering the level of service or the application of advanced hearing aid processing, one size does not fit all. Here is a brief summary of the research about how hearing care professionals can make meaningful differences in the individual care of consumers who are using amplification products—regardless of whether these are OTC or traditionally dispensed hearing devices.
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The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness (CRE) published the below post on its interactive public...
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Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) are...
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The proposed regulations for a new class of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids—which had previously been slated for release by the FDA this month—will now likely to be released sometime in the first quarter of 2020.
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In a segment on CBS News’ ‘Sunday Morning’ show, contributor and Yahoo Finance tech critic David Pogue examines the low rate of hearing aid adoption in comparison to the percentage of people over 70 with hearing difficulties.
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The company is bullish on the prospects of the upcoming OTC hearing device regulations from FDA, which it anticipates being issued this November and implemented in mid-2020. In his comments to investors, IntriCon CEO Mark Gorder was also optimistic that the new OTC hearing device regulations would be more liberal relative to the amount of allowable gain and for whom the devices might be intended.
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On the eve of major changes in the regulations governing the distribution of hearing aids in the United States, including the new upcoming class of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing devices, MT10 looks at consumers’ perceptions about hearing aids and personal sound amplification products (PSAPs)—as well as their attitudes about OTC devices and do-it-yourself hearing care.
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Unless you’ve been locked in your soundbooth for the past three years, you’re probably well aware that a new class of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids will get the green light from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sometime around August 2020, with the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) slated for this November.
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Unless you’ve been locked in your soundbooth for the past three years, you’re probably well aware that a new class of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids will get the green light from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sometime around August 2020, with the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) slated for this November.
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It now appears the “OTC regulatory debate” could potentially follow the same general timeframe as the 2020 presidential race—starting with proposed rules by the FDA in November of this year.
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Mead Killion, PhD, provides his perspective on the audiograms used in two studies that look at the suitability of personal sound amplification products (PSAPS) for people with hearing loss in various delivery models.
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Larry Humes, PhD, explains the reasoning behind why the vast majority of participants in his group’s recent study related to OTC hearing aids had near-normal or mild hearing loss, as pointed out by a December 2018 “Hearing Review” article by Ron Leavitt, Ruth Bentler, and Carole Flexer.
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