What's the best self-fitting strategy for over-the-counter hearing aids?
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- Reviewed by Anthony L. Komaroff, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Self-fitting over-the-counter hearing aids are affordable and easy to use. You match them to your needs in one of two ways: with "self-adjustment," which allows you to manually adjust bass, treble, amplification, and other sound aspects; or with "in-situ audiometry," an automated fitting based on a hearing test administered through a smartphone app. Which strategy is best? It's a tie, according to a small randomized trial published Sept. 1, 2024, in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. Researchers asked 28 people with confirmed mild to moderate hearing difficulty (average age 60) to try over-the-counter hearing aids, and randomly assigned them to a pair with one of the self-fitting strategies. Once participants were happy with their settings, an audiologist checked them for accuracy. Participants were encouraged to use the hearing aids for a month. After that, participants switched to the alternative type of self-fitting devices and used those for a month. Both strategies were effective. Even so, the self-adjustment hearing aids generated higher satisfaction rates and more consistent use than the devices with in-situ audiometry. Scientists think this could be because self-adjustment provides greater control in tailoring hearing aid settings to personal preferences.
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About the Author
Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
About the Reviewer
Anthony L. Komaroff, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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