Novel Technologies in the Field of Hearing Restoration where Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids are Permitted

On August 16, 2022 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule to improve access to hearing aids, which may in turn lower costs for millions of Americans. This action establishes a new category of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, enabling consumers with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment to purchase hearing aids directly from retailers without the need for a medical exam, prescription, fitting, or adjustment by an audiologist. This momentous rule also leads to a shift in the profession of otolaryngologists and audiologist. Furthermore, it introduces challenges to the hearing aids and their technology because the fitting of the devices includes the patient's hearing assessment and the subsequent fitting and fine tuning over time.

This Research Topic aims to collect research on novel hearing aid technologies including coding strategies improving hearing aid technologies and procedures allowing the self-fitting and management of hearing aids in remote areas.

Contributions should report on:
- the outcome of novel hearing aid technology;
- coding algorithms for self-fitting;
- technology to handle patients in remote areas;
- future designs in smart hearing aids that implement machine learning to optimize and fine tune hearing aid fitting.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Over the counter hearing aids, OTC hearing aids, self-fitting, telemedicine, middle-ear prostheses, fully implantable

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.