{"title":"Perspectives on Hearing Aid Cost and Uptake for Prescription and Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Users.","authors":"Megan Knoetze, Vinaya Manchaiah, Ilze Oosthuizen, Eldre Beukes, De Wet Swanepoel","doi":"10.1044/2024_AJA-23-00116","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>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.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>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.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Prescription users had a mean age of 66.7 years (<i>SD</i> = 13.2), including 62.0% males, 37.4% females, and 0.6% nonbinary individuals. OTC users had a mean age of 63.0 years (<i>SD</i> = 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.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>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.</p><p><strong>Supplemental material: </strong>https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.26496922.</p>","PeriodicalId":49241,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Audiology","volume":" ","pages":"942-952"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"American Journal of Audiology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_AJA-23-00116","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/8/7 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"AUDIOLOGY & SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
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.
期刊介绍：
Mission: AJA publishes peer-reviewed research and other scholarly articles pertaining to clinical audiology methods and issues, and serves as an outlet for discussion of related professional and educational issues and ideas. The journal is an international outlet for research on clinical research pertaining to screening, diagnosis, management and outcomes of hearing and balance disorders as well as the etiologies and characteristics of these disorders. The clinical orientation of the journal allows for the publication of reports on audiology as implemented nationally and internationally, including novel clinical procedures, approaches, and cases. AJA seeks to advance evidence-based practice by disseminating the results of new studies as well as providing a forum for critical reviews and meta-analyses of previously published work.
Scope: The broad field of clinical audiology, including audiologic/aural rehabilitation; balance and balance disorders; cultural and linguistic diversity; detection, diagnosis, prevention, habilitation, rehabilitation, and monitoring of hearing loss; hearing aids, cochlear implants, and hearing-assistive technology; hearing disorders; lifespan perspectives on auditory function; speech perception; and tinnitus.
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