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Personal sound amplifier may be an option for people with mild to moderate hearing loss
Clinical Question
Can a nonprescription personal sound amplifier work as well as a hearing aid?
Bottom line
Personal sound amplifiers—which are generally bigger and bulkier but cheaper than hearing aids—are the over-the-counter versions of prescription hearing aids. In this laboratory study, patients with mild to moderate hearing loss performed similarly well on hearing tests using a personal sound amplifier or a basic or premium hearing aid. The personal sound amplifier used in this study was a relatively expensive in-ear model and the results may not apply to less expensive versions, though a 2017 study found 3 versions to be good for improving understanding of speech. 1b
Reference
Study design: Cross-over trial (randomized)
Funding: Unknown/not stated
Setting: Outpatient (specialty)
Synopsis
Researchers enrolled a convenience sample of 56 adults who were seeking care for hearing loss (48% were men; median age 57 years). Patients were evenly divided as having mild (26 - 40 dB), moderate (41 - 55 dB), or moderately severe (56 - 70 dB) hearing loss; 16 (29%) of them had used a hearing aid in the past. All patients were tested using a personal sound amplifier (Able Planet PS2500AMP In-Ear Amplifier, ~ $500 US), a basic hearing aid, and a premium hearing aid, assigned in random order and without the subjects' knowledge of which one they were using. The study used a hearing in noise test, speech intelligibility in noise test, 2 listening effort measurements, and a self-rating questionnaire regarding sound quality and preference. The premium hearing aid had better performance only for patients with moderately severe hearing loss; for patients with less severe hearing loss, the personal sound amplifier provided results similar to hearing aids. Worse results were correlated with severity of hearing loss across the board. Results were similar among patients with and without previous hearing aid experience. This is a laboratory-based study and it would be useful to have comparative research in real life. The researchers did not comment on the power of the study to find a difference if one truly exists, though the use of the participants as their own control increases my confidence in the results.
Reviewer
Allen F. Shaughnessy, PharmD, MMedEd
Professor of Family Medicine
Tufts University
Boston, MA