Hearing loss is prevalent among older adults, yet hearing aid uptake remains low. The recent introduction of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration aims to improve accessibility by removing the requirement for professional involvement. However, the usability and perceived value of these devices by consumers remain insufficiently understood....
Understanding patient-perceived barriers and facilitators to OTC hearing aid uptake can help audiologists better counsel hesitant patients and position professional services as complementary to — not competing with — OTC options.
As OTC hearing aids reshape the hearing care market, qualitative insight into older adult attitudes directly informs how audiologists communicate the value of professional care and how manufacturers design accessible products.
- 01Qualitative study applied the Technology Acceptance Model to OTC hearing aid perceptions in older adults.
- 02Identified barriers (e.g., stigma, technology anxiety, fitting concerns) and facilitators (e.g., cost, accessibility) to OTC uptake.
- 03Participants were older adults with hearing loss — the primary target demographic for OTC devices.
- 04Findings have direct implications for patient counseling and audiology practice positioning.
- 05Published in JAAA; provides context for the rapidly evolving OTC hearing aid landscape.
Older adults with hearing loss have identifiable perceptual barriers and facilitators to adopting OTC hearing aids.
studysupported- PMID
- 42403962
- DOI
- 10.3766/jaaa.250056.
- Journal
- Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 5
- Population
- Older adults with hearing loss
- Intervention
- Over-the-counter hearing aids (perceptions and attitudes)
Primary outcomes
Perceived barriers to OTC hearing aid uptake; Perceived facilitators of OTC hearing aid uptake
