ReviewSeminars in hearing2025
Are Hearing Aid Benefit and Satisfaction Rates Higher for Traditional or Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids?
Review in Seminars in hearing, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Over-the-counter hearing aids and integrated health-monitoring sensors: a review of clinical evidence and implementation.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Review
- Tracking Change: What MarkeTrak and EuroTrak Reveal About Global Hearing Aid Trends.Seminars in hearing · 2025Review
- Are Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Affordable, Accessible, and Satisfactory? Insights from MarkeTrak 25 Survey Data.Seminars in hearing · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Recent regulatory changes in the United States created a category of hearing aids that could be purchased over-the-counter (OTC), directly by a consumer without professional dispensing. Evidence supporting the benefits of OTC hearing aids for adults with perceived mild-to-moderate hearing difficulty is somewhat mixed in the literature. The purpose of this study is to compare hearing aid benefits and satisfaction rates for OTC and traditional, provider-dispensed hearing aids within the MarkeTrak 25 survey data. Results of the survey demonstrate robust benefits and high satisfaction rates for both OTC and traditional hearing aids. However, there are some differences in trends between OTC and traditional hearing aids. Specifically, within owners of traditional hearing aids, there is remarkable stability in terms of benefits, satisfaction rates (83% of hearing aid owners are satisfied), and net promoter scores (+30 points for promoters relative to detractors). These values are essentially unchanged over the last several years, suggesting the introduction of the formal OTC hearing aid category has not affected the benefit or satisfaction rates of traditional hearing aids. The OTC hearing aids themselves have similar benefits as traditional hearing aids, although slightly lower satisfaction rates (76% of OTC hearing aid owners are satisfied). Compared to owners of traditional hearing aids, owners of OTC hearing aids were less likely to be satisfied with the size and reliability of their hearing aids, although they were more likely to be satisfied with the price of the hearing aids. The current data also highlight the importance of professional services, even within the group of OTC hearing aid owners. Not only did most OTC hearing aid owners (approximately 80%) utilize some type of professional service, but those who did receive professional support were more likely to be satisfied with their hearing aids than were those who did not receive professional services. Therefore, although the OTC hearing aids are beneficial and consumers are satisfied with them, professional support continues to be an important and beneficial aspect in the OTC category of hearing aids.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.