How Do Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Compare with Those Fitted by Audiologists?

Only about 20% of adults who could benefit from hearing aids use them. The recent U.S. FDA approval of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids has removed the barrier of having to see an audiologist for fitting but raises the question of how these OTC aids perform compared with audiologist-fitted aids.

South African researchers randomized 68 adults (mean age, 64) with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss on audiograms and no outer or middle ear pathology to a self-fitting OTC hearing aid or to the same hearing aid fitted and adjusted by an audiologist. OTC patients were provided with the standard commercial package of fitting instructions including a smartphone application; after 2 weeks, they could contact remote technical support as oft…