- Home
- Medical news & Guidelines
- Anesthesiology
- Cardiology and CTVS
- Critical Care
- Dentistry
- Dermatology
- Diabetes and Endocrinology
- ENT
- Gastroenterology
- Medicine
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- Obstretics-Gynaecology
- Oncology
- Ophthalmology
- Orthopaedics
- Pediatrics-Neonatology
- Psychiatry
- Pulmonology
- Radiology
- Surgery
- Urology
- Laboratory Medicine
- Diet
- Nursing
- Paramedical
- Physiotherapy
- Health news
- Fact Check
- Bone Health Fact Check
- Brain Health Fact Check
- Cancer Related Fact Check
- Child Care Fact Check
- Dental and oral health fact check
- Diabetes and metabolic health fact check
- Diet and Nutrition Fact Check
- Eye and ENT Care Fact Check
- Fitness fact check
- Gut health fact check
- Heart health fact check
- Kidney health fact check
- Medical education fact check
- Men's health fact check
- Respiratory fact check
- Skin and hair care fact check
- Vaccine and Immunization fact check
- Women's health fact check
- AYUSH
- State News
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- Andhra Pradesh
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Assam
- Bihar
- Chandigarh
- Chattisgarh
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli
- Daman and Diu
- Delhi
- Goa
- Gujarat
- Haryana
- Himachal Pradesh
- Jammu & Kashmir
- Jharkhand
- Karnataka
- Kerala
- Ladakh
- Lakshadweep
- Madhya Pradesh
- Maharashtra
- Manipur
- Meghalaya
- Mizoram
- Nagaland
- Odisha
- Puducherry
- Punjab
- Rajasthan
- Sikkim
- Tamil Nadu
- Telangana
- Tripura
- Uttar Pradesh
- Uttrakhand
- West Bengal
- Medical Education
- Industry
Self-Fitting Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Show Comparable Results to Audiologist-Fitted Aids: JAMA
USA: According to a clinical trial published in the JAMA: Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery suggests that self-fitting over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids may be an effective intervention for individuals with mild-moderate hearing loss and produce clinical outcomes similar to those of an audiologist-fitted hearing aid.
Hearing loss is a prevalent condition that affects millions of people worldwide. In a bid to improve access and affordability, OTC hearing aids became available in October 2022. However, there is limited data on the clinical effectiveness of these devices.
A randomized clinical effectiveness trial compared the clinical effectiveness of a self-fitting OTC hearing aid with remote support and a hearing aid fitted using audiologist-fitted best practices. The study involved 64 adults with self-perceived mild to moderate hearing loss who were randomly assigned to either the self-fitting or the audiologist-fitted group.
Participants completed a 2-week, take-home field trial without any support. Access to fine-tuning for both groups was only available after the 2-week trial. Support and adjustment were provided remotely for the self-fitting group per request and by the audiologist for the audiologist-fitted group. Participants were then reassessed after an additional 4-week take-home trial.
The trial revealed the following clinical findings:
- 1.No significant age or 4-frequency pure-tone average differences were found.
- 2.After the 2-week trial, the self-fitting group had an initial advantage in the self-reported Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) and International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA).
- 3.No significant difference was found between the groups at the end of the 6-week trial on any outcome measures.
The study concludes that self-fitting OTC hearing aids with remote support yielded outcomes at 6 weeks post-fitting comparable to those of hearing aids fitted using audiologist best practices.
The researchers of the study added that “The availability of OTC hearing aids provides a new option for those with hearing loss who may not have access to an audiologist or may not be able to afford traditional hearing aids. The study's results may also help to alleviate some concerns about the effectiveness of self-fitting OTC hearing aids.”
Reference:
De Sousa KC, Manchaiah V, Moore DR, Graham MA, Swanepoel DW. Effectiveness of an Over-the-Counter Self-fitting Hearing Aid Compared With an Audiologist-Fitted Hearing Aid: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. Published online April 13, 2023. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2023.0376
Dr. Mahalakshmi Sivashankaran joined Medical Dialogues as an Intern in 2023. She is a BDS graduate from Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore Batch 2022, and worked as a Junior Resident at VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital at the Department of Dental Surgery till January 2023. She has completed a Diploma in Executive Healthcare management from the Loyola Institute of Business Administration, developing skills in Healthcare Management and Administration. She covers several medical specialties including Dental, ENT, Diagnostics, Pharmacology, Neurology, and Cardiology.
Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751