Seminars in Hearing最新文献

In recent years, pharmacies have entered the over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid market, providing an accessible alternative for individuals with hearing loss. This shift is driven by several key factors, including the limited availability of audiologists in many areas, particularly in rural or underserved regions. High-cost hearing aids can be a significant barrier for lower-income households. With the rising demand for affordable hearing solutions, pharmacies have emerged as a viable option for offering these devices, often at a fraction of the cost of traditional audiology services. By expanding access to hearing aids, pharmacies aim to address both the scarcity of specialized care and the financial constraints faced by many patients, making hearing health more attainable for a broader population. This article highlights how rural and elderly populations are often underserved in healthcare, with an emphasis on specialty services like audiology. It will demonstrate how a pharmacy recognized a disparity in the market and took action toward providing expanded patient care, unique to the usual pharmacy services we all know.

Hearing healthcare has always been multidisciplinary and collaborative in nature. The advent of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids has introduced a new partnership opportunity between audiologists and pharmacists. This article will apply public health aspects of hearing loss in adults to models of interprofessional partnership and healthcare through didactic case examples. Resources specific to building a professional community to support the needs of adults with hearing loss will be highlighted.

Tinnitus exerts negative influences upon the quality of life for more than 50 million people in the United States. Through its mission and resources, the American Tinnitus Association (ATA) offers support and hope for these many individuals who are burdened by this condition. ATA provides patients a range of clinical referral services and informational resources and also funds researchers and clinical scientists whose work supports tinnitus management strategies and potential curative approaches. ATA also provides hearing healthcare practitioners support services that foster a sense of community among providers, intended to enhance accessibility and improve outcomes for patients from all parts of the country.

Adults living in rural communities of Alabama have limited or no access to hearing healthcare for a variety of reasons. Hearing loss can result in decreased social contact, potentially leading to loneliness, and it has been associated with depression and cognitive decline. To improve access to hearing healthcare, the FDA released its Final Rule in 2022 stating that adults with perceived mild-to-moderate hearing loss can purchase over-the-counter hearing aids (OTC HAs) on their own without clearance from a physician or through the care of an audiologist. Current research suggests, however, that adults benefit from professional support when purchasing and setting their OTC HAs. Understanding how much support is needed and how to best provide the support will be necessary for successful OTC HA use. Considering that these devices can now be purchased at pharmacies, one model in rural areas could involve the pharmacy technician who could assist and support those with hearing loss in community pharmacies. This article outlines a pharmacy technician educational training program that will incorporate didactic, interactional, and experiential learning components to promote the use of OTC HAs. The outcomes from this project will provide the foundation for the development and implementation of one model for improving access to hearing healthcare in rural communities.

Over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids became available for purchase online, in retail stores, and in pharmacies in October 2022. As trusted sources of healthcare information, audiologists and pharmacists are likely among the first to field questions about these devices. Therefore, it is essential for them to understand their proper use, identify reliable devices, and know when to refer patients for further evaluation. Understanding the regulatory criteria for OTC hearing aids is especially important. These devices must meet specific conditions for sale, which ensure their safety and effectiveness for the public. Familiarity with these regulations will ensure that audiologists and pharmacists can help patients choose devices that meet established standards, avoiding misrepresented products. Given the visibility and accessibility of OTC hearing aids in pharmacies, pharmacists can offer initial guidance, answer questions, and help patients navigate the available options on their shelves. Audiologists, experts in hearing health, can assess a patient's hearing needs and determine whether an OTC hearing aid is a suitable option, guiding the patient's device selection. This article will summarize a presentation given to audiologists and pharmacists by Julie Cohen, AuD, PhD, an audiologist and scientific reviewer at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on the FDA's OTC Hearing Aid Regulations. Audience questions were answered by Dr. Cohen and by FDA lead scientific reviewer, Lindsay Devries, AuD, PhD.

The product information label (PIL) is the consumer-focused tool required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to transmit essential health information about candidacy to potential users of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids. The OTC hearing aid PIL has not undergone a systematic comprehensibility study, nor have consumers' viewing habits of the OTC PIL been evaluated. The goal of the present study was to use eye-tracking to determine what consumers attend to when looking at an OTC hearing aid package (which includes the PIL), and conduct an assessment of comprehension of the PIL's content in a group of consumers who either spoke English only (EO) or reported English as a second language (ESL). Eye-tracking data showed that the OTC hearing aid PIL did not capture sustained attention from both groups, and most of the PIL content was not comprehended by potential ESL consumers. The OTC hearing aid PIL may not be useful and accessible to consumers in its current form.

This article explores the steps and factors that audiology clinics should consider to successfully integrate over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, ensuring that patients with mild to moderate hearing loss have access to affordable and effective intervention options. In 2017, Mass Eye and Ear (MEE) began recommending and selling personal sound amplification products in anticipation of the OTC hearing aid market. Audiology practices may be interested in incorporating the recommendation and sale of OTC hearing aids into their services, but they might be unsure about how to approach this process.

Tinnitus onset is associated with numerous auditory and psychological correlates in the general population, and are compounded in musicians. With the assistance of patient quotes and a case study, this article explores the vocational, emotional, and practical factors which should be considered by clinicians who work with this population. To better serve music-exposed individuals, especially music industry professionals, telehealth has proven to be a viable and advantageous care delivery method due in part to decreased barriers to access.

This article is the second in a two-part series intended to provide guidance related to the essential components of establishing a comprehensive tinnitus care pathway in your clinic. Please see "Part 1: Essential Components" for relevant background information detailing why each of the components described in this article were included.

Implementation of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid sales can take many forms. The OTC Hearing Aid and Self-Care Symposium included one panel of speakers who addressed considerations for implementation from the perspectives of pharmacists, audiologists, and consumers. This article, written by the panel moderator, offers an overview of implementation options and issues addressed by the speakers and a pharmacist's perspective on the need for interprofessional collaboration.