Opinion – Julio Abramczyk: An over-the-counter hearing aid

One of the results of the increase in elderly populations is the changes observed to better serve them. In our midst, there is already a perception of the need for training caregivers guided by free courses.

In the medical field, specialists in geriatrics are significantly outgrowing the training of new pediatricians in recent years.

In the United States, refer Debora Lyn Tucci, from the National Institute of Deafness of the United States, and Robert M. Califf, from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, USA), in the medical journal Jama, statistics showed that the majority of people who could benefiting from hearing aids does not use them.

Therefore, the FDA’s new regulations for over-the-counter (over-the-counter) hearing devices are an important step in improving access to these devices for the elderly population.

According to experts, after the age of 70, almost half of adults report hearing loss. And the lack of affordable affordable hearing aids affects part of the population that already survives on their modest resources.

The authors point out that, prior to the FDA’s authorization for the over-the-counter sale of hearing aids, this area was a market with limited competition. It was determined by speech therapists whose consultations are grouped by the (high) cost of these devices, dominated by large international manufacturers.

These circumstances resulted in high prices for consumers and barriers to market entry for potential manufacturers.

Tucci and Califf also point out that the new framework introduced by the FDA provides a platform for the development of safe, effective and less expensive hearing aids for people with mild to moderate perceived hearing loss.