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March 2 (UPI) -- Researchers found seniors with hearing loss benefit from hearing aids, but that proper fit and instruction from audiologists offers the best outcome for patients. The Indiana University-led study compared patient outcome for seniors getting hearing aids through an audiology "best practices" model and an over-the-counter, or OTC, model of standardized, non-fitted hearing aids.
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"The research findings provide firm evidence that hearing aids do, in fact, provide significant benefit to older adults," Dr. Larry Humes, a professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington, said in a press release. "This is important because, even though millions of Americans have hearing loss, there has been an absence of rigorous clinical research that has demonstrated clear benefits provided by hearing aids to older adults. Consequently, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has not been able to support widespread hearing screening for adults over age 50. This study, along with others to follow, will help establish the evidence base needed to foster better hearing health care for many older Americans."
For the study, 159 adults between ages 55 and 79 with mild to moderate hearing loss were divided into three groups. One group received best practices services from audiologists, including a professional fitting and counseling; an OTC group received no professional fitting and selected their own pre-programmed hearing aids; and a placebo group received fitted devices that did not enhance hearing.
The researchers found hearing aids were effective in both the best practices model and the OTC model, with no significant differences in outcome in the two service-delivery approaches for five of six outcome measures.
The OTC group, however, was less satisfied with their hearing aids and fewer OTC participants were likely to purchase hearing aids after the trial. The best practices group by far had the most satisfied participants as 81 percent said they would purchase hearing aids after the trial, while 55 percent in the OTC group and 36 percent in the placebo group said they would purchase them.
After the clinical trial, participants in the OTC and placebo groups were offered hearing aids using the best practices model. Researchers found participant satisfaction increased significantly in both groups and they indicated they were more likely to purchase hearing aids than before.
Many seniors who need hearing aids do not use them. Nearly 29 million U.S. adults could benefit from hearing aids but less than 30 percent report ever using them.
The study was published in the American Journal of Audiology.
