Abstract
The Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017 was signed into law in August 2017 and facilitates the introduction of direct-to-consumer sales of hearing aids for adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. Among many questions surrounding over-the-counter sales is the ability of users to self-fit amplification. Many studies have conducted self-fitting procedures using guidance materials provided by audiologists. In this pilot, we explore the ability of users to self-adjust personal sound amplification devices using only materials provided by the manufacturer and contrast this with models that involve a hearing professional. Outcomes to assess adjustments included clinic-based speech-in-noise measures and ability to approximate NAL-NL2 prescriptive targets. We found that an audiologist-driven model provided the best outcomes. However, it is unknown if the difference is clinically meaningful.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 26-36 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Seminars in Hearing |
Volume | 40 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2019 |
Keywords
- Personal Sound Amplification Product
- direct-to-consumer sales
- over-the-counter device
- self-fit amplification
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Speech and Hearing