OTC hearing aids: An opportunity for collaborative working relationships between pharmacists and audiologists

Berenbrok, Lucas A.; DeRuiter, Mark; Mormer, Elaine

doi:10.1016/j.japh.2022.08.015

Cited by 21 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Pharmacists may consider using this tool to collect and track patient outcomes after using OTC hearing aids. When outcomes remain unchanged, pharmacists should consider referring patients to local hearing care professionals for additional evaluation and comprehensive care [ 17 ]. In addition to assessing effectiveness, pharmacists should also be familiar with product labeling to assess safety prior to sale.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Experiences with Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids for Mild-to-Moderate Hearing Loss: A Case Report

Berenbrok,

Duchen,

Cyr

et al. 2023

Pharmacy

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This patient case report describes a first experience in late 2022 and early 2023 with over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids for a 71-year-old male with self-perceived, age-related hearing loss. The patient reported no “red flag” medical conditions that would preclude him from safely using an OTC hearing aid device. After also meeting inclusionary criteria required to be printed on the device label, the patient was offered FDA registered OTC hearing aids. The first device pair was returned due to malfunction. The second device pair was an in-the-canal style, black in color, and powered by disposable batteries. He required help setting up the device from his spouse, an audiologist, and a pharmacist. Improved scores on the Self-Assessment of Communication and Significant Other Assessment of Communication were noted from the patient and his spouse. The patient continued to use the second device pair for 6 months after first use with no additional help. Our experience supports the pharmacist’s role in identifying appropriate candidates for OTC hearing aids, helping patients select a device, and supporting device setup and self-fitting processes at community pharmacies. Further experiences are needed to demonstrate how pharmacists can support OTC hearing aid purchases at community pharmacies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Experiences with Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids for Mild-to-Moderate Hearing Loss: A Case Report

Berenbrok,

Duchen,

Cyr

et al. 2023

Pharmacy

Self Cite

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“…This may be due to the fact that persons in rural areas have little access to audiology services [ 15 ]. Because community pharmacies are highly accessible health care locations for the overall U.S. population, audiologists may consider establishing collaborative working relationships with pharmacists to better serve persons with hearing loss in rural areas [ 9 , 16 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

National Survey of Pharmacist Awareness, Interest, and Readiness for Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids

et al. 2022

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Hearing loss is a major public health concern, affecting over 30 million Americans. Few adults who could benefit from hearing aids use them. Hearing aids are now available over-the-counter (OTC) for persons with perceived mild-to-moderate hearing loss. Community pharmacies will sell OTC hearing aids to increase public access to hearing healthcare. The purpose of this study was to describe pharmacist awareness, interest, and readiness to offer OTC hearing aids at community pharmacies. A multiple-item online survey was designed using the Theory of Planned Behavior and responses were collected from licensed pharmacists from July 2021 to December 2021. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the 97 responses collected. Most respondents were not aware of the upcoming OTC hearing aid availability. Most respondents were somewhat or very interested in increasing their knowledge on OTC hearing aids, selling OTC hearing aids, and assisting patients with OTC hearing aid selection. Most respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed that they had the necessary knowledge to counsel patients on OTC hearing aids. The most reported supporting factor was training and educational resources. OTC hearing aids are a unique public health initiative which will expand patient access to hearing health care to community pharmacies.

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“…In fact, Berenbrok, Mormer, and colleagues have reported on collaborations in their recent work [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. These researchers, representing pharmacy and audiology professions, have developed 26 competency statements for pharmacists when providing hearing healthcare in pharmacies [ 14 ], developed online training sessions designed to help pharmacists become familiar with supporting adults with hearing loss [ 13 ], and reported findings from a patient who received support from a pharmacist in the provision of OTC HAs [ 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These researchers, representing pharmacy and audiology professions, have developed 26 competency statements for pharmacists when providing hearing healthcare in pharmacies [ 14 ], developed online training sessions designed to help pharmacists become familiar with supporting adults with hearing loss [ 13 ], and reported findings from a patient who received support from a pharmacist in the provision of OTC HAs [ 15 ]. Evidence has also indicated that pharmacists are very interested in working with audiologists to support adults with hearing loss [ 11 , 12 , 16 ]. Brothers and colleagues used focus group discussions and individual interviews to reveal that pharmacists were interested in collaborating with audiologists and other hearing healthcare professionals to increase access to hearing healthcare.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Clinical Trial in Rural Alabama: Project Design and Potential Implications for Pharmacy and Audiology Interprofessional Collaborations

Hay-McCutcheon,

Hubbard,

Brothers

et al. 2024

Pharmacy

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Over-the-counter hearing aids (OTC HAs) have the potential to help adults with perceived mild-to-moderate hearing loss across the US, especially in rural communities, where access to hearing healthcare is extremely limited or non-existent. The purpose of this study was to describe an OTC HA clinical trial being conducted in five rural counties of Alabama and to provide preliminary anecdotal data related to the use and care of these hearing aids by the participants. In brief, for this clinical trial, adults with hearing loss were randomly placed in one of three groups where they received varying levels of support for setting, using, and maintaining their OTC HAs. Listening tests and surveys were administered to assess the extent to which they benefitted from the hearing aids as related to word understanding, communication with others in natural settings, and hearing aid use and care. Currently, anecdotal findings suggested that, although some participants required very little support to successfully use their hearing aids, others had difficulty setting and caring for their devices and could have benefitted from individualized guidance. Future quantitative studies will assess the extent of support needed for successful hearing aid benefit and use. Potentially, collaborations among pharmacy and audiology professionals could lead to increased access to hearing healthcare by supporting the use and purchase of OTC HAs in rural pharmacy settings.

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OTC hearing aids: An opportunity for collaborative working relationships between pharmacists and audiologists

Cited by 21 publications

References 7 publications

First Experiences with Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids for Mild-to-Moderate Hearing Loss: A Case Report

First Experiences with Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids for Mild-to-Moderate Hearing Loss: A Case Report

National Survey of Pharmacist Awareness, Interest, and Readiness for Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids

An Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Clinical Trial in Rural Alabama: Project Design and Potential Implications for Pharmacy and Audiology Interprofessional Collaborations

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