In a recent article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Singh and Dhar (2023) reported results of a survey to examine consumer attitudes and opinions regarding over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids. The 1,037 participants had no hearing aid experience and were 50 years or older (M=61 years).
The survey addressed participant’s experience with OTC hearing aids, level of comfort with OTC devices, and likelihood of pursuing hearing health care online or in person. Survey results suggested most respondents were uncomfortable obtaining OTC hearing devices online. These respondents were more likely to seek in-person hearing health care (84 percent). Overall, individuals who were unlikely to pursue OTC hearing devices online were older, had an annual income greater than $150k, and were not interested in pursuing any hearing aids. Conversely, respondents who were most likely to obtain OTC hearing devices online had previous experience with direct-to-consumer devices, were uncertain about insurance coverage, or did not have insurance coverage for hearing devices.
Given the high percentage of individuals who prefer to seek hearing health care in person, the authors concluded that current consumer attitudes about OTC hearing devices may hinder acceptance of this direct-to-consumer model.
Reference
Singh J, Dhar S. (2023) Assessment of Consumer Attitudes Following Recent Changes in the US Hearing Health Care Market. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. Published online.
Related Posts
“Huh?” Is More Than an Interrogatory Palindrome!
“Huh?” is used in at least 31 languages around the world! A version of the word can be found in nearly every language on Earth (Dingemanse et al, 2013). This research concluded that all languages studied included a word similar, in both sound and function, to the English “huh?” Regardless of language, the word is…
Another Useless Body Part…
If you have a dog or cat, you’ve probably seen their ears moving toward an interesting or startling sound. For professional equestrians, watching the ears of their horse allows them to gauge their shifting attention. Humans still have these same muscles, and even more interesting is their relationship to our brain and how we pay attention. …
Memorizing Movements: How Tai Chi Can Improve Balance and Cognition
Tai Chi is not just for increasing balance; it may also help improve cognitive performance. In a recent randomized controlled trial, study participants who practiced a form of Tai Chi twice a week for six months improved their scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) when compared to a control group (Fuzhong et al, 2023)….