Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids 4 Years Later: Regulatory Reform Alone Is Insufficient to Ensure Consumer Benefits.

Regulatory reform alone is insufficient to ensure consumer benefits from over-the-counter hearing aids four years after their authorization in 2022.

• Why it matters: Addressing hearing loss is critical for improving quality of life, but gaps remain in ensuring effective access and use of over-the-counter hearing aids.
• What they did: The authors review the status of OTC hearing aids four years post-authorization, emphasizing the need for clinical and policy initiatives to enhance uptake and implementation.
• The result: They suggest that combining regulatory changes with targeted clinical and policy efforts is necessary to realize the full consumer benefits of OTC hearing aids.