Perspectives on Hearing Aid Cost and Uptake for Prescription and Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Users

Author:

Knoetze Megan12ORCID,Manchaiah Vinaya12345ORCID,Oosthuizen Ilze12ORCID,Beukes Eldre26ORCID,Swanepoel De Wet123ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, South Africa

2. Virtual Hearing Lab, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, and University of Pretoria, South Africa

3. Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora

4. UCHealth Hearing and Balance, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora

5. Department of Speech and Hearing, School of Allied Health Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India

6. Vision and Hearing Sciences Research Group, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Abstract

Purpose: This study explored user perspectives on the relationship between hearing aid cost and uptake, as well as cost-related recommendations for others with hearing difficulties, in a sample of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid users. Method: A secondary analysis was conducted on a cross-sectional survey using qualitative content analysis to analyze responses related to the cost of hearing aids. The study included a total of 241 adult participants, comprising 179 prescription hearing aid users from the Hearing Tracker website and 62 OTC hearing aid users from the Lexie Hearing U.S. database. Results: Prescription users had a mean age of 66.7 years ( SD = 13.2), including 62.0% males, 37.4% females, and 0.6% nonbinary individuals. OTC users had a mean age of 63.0 years ( SD = 13.4), with 48.4% males and 51.6% females. Three overarching domains were identified: perceived enablers to hearing aid uptake related to the cost, perceived barriers to hearing aid uptake related to the cost, and recommendations to others with hearing difficulties related to the cost, with 14 categories recognized for prescription users and 12 for OTC users. Both groups identified the high cost of hearing aids and lack of insurance coverage as significant barriers to uptake. Many prescription users reported external support (e.g., financial support and health insurance coverage) as an enabler, while OTC users frequently mentioned the affordability of OTC devices. The most common recommendation among prescription users was to seek professional support, whereas OTC users recommended researching hearing aids before making a purchase. Conclusions: Cost and insurance coverage consistently emerge as primary barriers to hearing aid adoption for both prescription and OTC users. To foster greater accessibility, initiatives should target these financial obstacles. Additional research is warranted on the relationship between hearing aid cost and uptake, especially among OTC users and those seeking financial assistance. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.26496922

Publisher

American Speech Language Hearing Association

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3