On Monday, hearing aids were made available for purchase over-the-counter, eliminating the need for people with hearing loss to pay for an appointment with an audiologist.
DIY Hearing Aids Are Now Available
According to the National Institutes of Health, hearing aids could help over 30 million Americans. On the other hand, the White House said that switching to OTC might result in a $3,000 savings. OTC hearing aids are already offered for sale at Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Best Buy, and other stores, with costs ranging from roughly $200 to $1,000 and higher.
Consumer Empowerment in Choosing DIY Alternatives
There has been a significant shift toward consumer empowerment, according to Marianne Udow-Phillips, senior adviser at the University of Michigan Center for Health and Research Transformation.
In various areas of medicine, there are alternate solutions available today that offer OTC and DIY options. For instance, the SmileDirectClub gives patients the choice to completely skip orthodontists. They have the opportunity to correct their teeth with the mail-order delivery of aligners made of clear plastic. Another DIY kit is the COVID-19 test kit. Currently, the FDA is debating legalizing the over-the-counter sale of specific birth control pills.
According to Axios, the DIY health movement can help patients save money and cut down on red tape, but it also increases the danger of missing out on in-person consultations.
Opposition from Physicians
Despite the benefits of DIY, not receiving care from a medical practitioner has drawbacks. According to Udow-Phillips, the medical lobby has been a major source of opposition because they want to make sure you don't overlook anything important.
The American Academy of Audiology offers information on over-the-counter hearing aids but also recommends that anybody who is concerned about hearing loss arrange a hearing test with an audiologist, a procedure that customers are now permitted to skip.
OTC, Prescription Hearing Aid Difference
An audiologist who diagnoses your hearing loss can write you a prescription for hearing aids. They are made specifically for your needs and ears.
According to Dr. Brooke Welch, AuD from Iowa Clinic, audiologists test your hearing to determine whether you should be a candidate. Additionally, they rule out any additional ear conditions that would preclude you from receiving hearing aids. Prescription hearing aids are based on your communication challenges and are precisely fitted to your hearing.
With over-the-counter hearing aids, self-diagnosis is actually the foundation. No testing is necessary, and no one is available to offer advice. Dr. Welch explains, "You pick the device, just as if you were shopping for anything else at the market. Then, you're on your own as far as setup, maintenance, and care. It's just," Do I believe I have a particular amount of hearing difficulty?
A person's functional communication and their capacity to distinguish between quiet and loud noises are taken into account when an audiologist fits them with prescription hearing aids. To make sure that audiologists provide a patient with what they need for their lifestyle, the functional communication aspect is quite crucial. Prescription hearing aids can frequently be adjusted in the clinic specifically for that person's ear to do more for background noise, feedback, or whistling-type noises.
Welch advised everyone to visit an audiologist to get their hearing evaluated in order to rule out any medical contraindications, regardless of whether they can make a direct purchase from an internet retailer or a physical store
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