How effective are over-the-counter hearing aids for adults? A systematic review

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids are designed to improve access and affordability by removing the need to involve an audiologist. The aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness of OTC hearing aids for adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss compared to conventional hearing aids or in the unaided condition. DESIGN: This review was pre-registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023434820) and follows the PRISMA guidelines. STUDY SAMPLE: Thirteen studies were eligible to be included in this review after identifying 1201 records that were potentially related to the research question. RESULTS: The studies were compared based on the primary outcome of self-reported benefit and secondary outcomes, including speech intelligibility in quiet and in noise. In addition to other outcomes, including sound quality and adverse effects. The studies varied in quality from poor to excellent. CONCLUSION: The OTC outcomes were potentially promising. However, due to the lack of meta-analysis in this review and limited studies, a robust conclusion cannot be drawn.