Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Virtual Hearing Lab, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, and University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Am J Audiol. 2024 Sep 3;33(3):942-952. doi: 10.1044/2024_AJA-23-00116. Epub 2024 Aug 7.
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.
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.
Prescription users had a mean age of 66.7 years ( = 13.2), including 62.0% males, 37.4% females, and 0.6% nonbinary individuals. OTC users had a mean age of 63.0 years ( = 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.
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.
本研究在处方和非处方（OTC）助听器使用者样本中探讨了用户对助听器成本与使用率之间关系的看法，以及他们对其他听力困难人士的成本相关建议。
使用定性内容分析对横断面调查进行二次分析，以分析与助听器成本相关的回答。该研究共包括 241 名成年参与者，包括来自 Hearing Tracker 网站的 179 名处方助听器使用者和 Lexie Hearing U.S. 数据库的 62 名 OTC 助听器使用者。
处方使用者的平均年龄为 66.7 岁（ = 13.2），包括 62.0%的男性、37.4%的女性和 0.6%的非二进制个体。OTC 使用者的平均年龄为 63.0 岁（ = 13.4），其中 48.4%为男性，51.6%为女性。确定了三个总体领域：与成本相关的助听器使用率的感知促进因素、与成本相关的助听器使用率的感知障碍因素，以及与成本相关的对其他听力困难人士的建议，为处方使用者确定了 14 个类别，为 OTC 使用者确定了 12 个类别。两组都认为助听器的高成本和缺乏保险覆盖是使用率的主要障碍。许多处方使用者报告外部支持（如经济支持和健康保险覆盖）是一个促进因素，而 OTC 用户经常提到 OTC 设备的负担能力。处方使用者中最常见的建议是寻求专业支持，而 OTC 用户则建议在购买前研究助听器。
成本和保险覆盖一直是处方和 OTC 用户采用助听器的主要障碍。为了促进更大的可及性，应针对这些财务障碍采取措施。需要进一步研究助听器成本与使用率之间的关系，特别是在 OTC 用户和寻求经济援助的用户中。
