July 7, 2017 Read Original Release

We hear about the savings, but need more details on the benefits of OTC hearing aids

Reviewed By

Rating

Certain OTC, Less Expensive Hearing Aids Provide Benefit Similar to Conventional Hearing Aid

Our Review Summary

This release by the Journal of the American Medical Association highlights a relatively small study that could snowball into better lives for tens of millions of people who struggle with hearing loss. The finding: Many personal sound amplification products, or PSAPs, which can be purchased over-the-counter, seem to perform nearly as well as much more expensive, medically prescribed hearing aids when it comes to understanding speech. While the release does discuss and compare costs — a frequently overlooked yet crucial issue, as we often bemoan here at HealthNewsReview.org — it whiffed on quantifying the benefits of using cheaper devices and discussing their harms.

Why This Matters

Hearing loss affects some 48 million Americans, but Medicare doesn’t cover hearing aids, which can cost thousands of dollars per ear — this despite the fact that people 65 and older are affected by hearing loss. If over-the-counter devices like PSAPs compare to the aid provided by much more expensive prescription hearing aids, then millions more people with hearing loss may be able to reap the benefits.

Criteria

Does the news release adequately discuss the costs of the intervention?

Satisfactory

The cost of the prescription hearing aid used in the study is noted ($1,910), as is the cost range of five different PSAPs tested (ranging from $30 to $350).

Does the news release adequately quantify the benefits of the treatment/test/product/procedure?

Not Satisfactory

This release didn’t dive into the PSAP versus hearing aid benefit numbers and this was a missed opportunity. According to the full study, hearing aids alone improved speech recognition by 12 percent. Meanwhile, the three most expensive PSAPs (all more than $300) improved speech recognition by at least 10 percent. It would also have been helpful to point out that the least expensive PSAP ($30) actually worsened speech recognition by 11 percent.

Does the news release adequately explain/quantify the harms of the intervention?

Not Satisfactory

The news release should have mentioned the potential harms of these devices compared to hearing aids so people have the full picture when considering their potential. One problem is that less expensive PSAPs don’t selectively amplify speech, which could conceivably worsen hearing loss by blasting too loud and broad a range of sound.

Does the news release seem to grasp the quality of the evidence?

Not Satisfactory

Readers are given the number of people who participated (42), along with a cautionary note that this low number is a limitation. That’s to the good. However, it would have been more helpful to characterize why that’s a limitation — i.e. such a small sample size is not likely to represent the tens of millions of people who struggle with hearing loss.

It would also have been good to mention that these tests were done in a simulated, highly controlled setting, and in which a professional was around to help people wear PSAPs. In the real world, people may not correctly set up or wear a PSAP which could lower the cheaper device’s ability to improve speech understanding.

Does the news release commit disease-mongering?

Satisfactory

We didn’t see anything alarming or overblown.

Does the news release identify funding sources & disclose conflicts of interest?

Not Satisfactory

The release asks the reader to see the study for “author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support,” which is better than nothing, yet doesn’t make it easy for readers to draw conclusions about any potential bias.

Does the news release compare the new approach with existing alternatives?

Satisfactory

The entire release is about an alternative comparison, which is refreshing. On the other hand, it is hard to compare alternatives in highly controlled settings. Real life is a lot different.

Does the news release establish the availability of the treatment/test/product/procedure?

Satisfactory

Availability of both hearing aids (“through a licensed professional”) and PSAPs (“over-the-counter”) is clearly established.

Does the news release establish the true novelty of the approach?

Satisfactory

The novelty seems so obvious in hindsight, but it is clear: How do PSAPs really stack up against hearing aids? The answer is surprising and worthy of a release, even though the sample size was small and the methodology lacked some real-world challenges (e.g. putting on a PSAP correctly and properly adjusting it).

Does the news release include unjustifiable, sensational language, including in the quotes of researchers?

Satisfactory

We didn’t detect any words that hyped the results.

Total Score: 6 of 10 Satisfactory

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