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1st appeared
05
October 2000
Clinic to Begin Tests of Disposable Hearing Aids The UCSF Audiology Clinic will launch new research in October to study the world’s first disposable hearing aids, which cost about $40 and last up to 40 days. Robert Sweetow, PhD, director of the clinic, said the devices are manufactured by Songbird Hearing, Inc. of Princeton, N.J. and will be available to patients in the study later this fall. Although the manufacturer has market test sites in other parts of the country, UCSF is the only site where ongoing research will compare the disposable aids to conventional hearing aids. Sweetow explained that these "one size fits all" devices are designed to fit entirely into the ear canal. "In reality," he said, "they actually fit 70-80 percent of adult male ears and about 50 percent of adult female ears. The instruments have a very soft ‘mushroom’ cap that fits about halfway into the ear canal. This relatively deep placement accomplishes two goals. It produces a very good acoustic seal that minimizes feedback or whistling, and it may help to reduce the common complaint that the user’s own voice sounds as if he or she is speaking in a barrel." The disposable devices last from 30-40 days, at which time the encapsulated battery expires. At this point, the user simply disposes of the old one and replaces the device. With the ease of dispensing the disposable hearing aid, it is hoped that the 20 million Americans who need hearing aids but are not wearing them will evaluate the use of these new devices. Studies from the National Council on Aging have found that hearing-impaired individuals who do not seek treatment are at risk not only for social isolation, but also for increased stress that can translate to stress-related illnesses. According to Sweetow, the quality of the sound produced by these instruments seems quite good, but these new disposable hearing aids have yet to be formally evaluated while the current analog and top-of-the-line digital hearing aids have been evaluated. The UCSF study will be conducted with individuals currently wearing conventional hearing aids. The researchers will investigate several aspects of disposable hearing instruments: comfort, ease of use, subjective impressions of the sound quality, and ability to understand speech immersed in background noise. The results will be compared to those obtained by the test subjects’ own hearing aids. In comparison to the disposable hearing aids, the programmable and top of the line digital hearing aids cost $1500-$2500 for each aid with a typical life expectancy of three to five years. The consumer is likely to save money with the new devices, particularly over the first few years. However, Sweetow cautions that the value of hearing is extremely high, and "if the disposable instruments don’t provide the quality of better devices, the sacrifice in quality of life for a few hundred dollars is simply not worth it." For more information or participation in hearing studies at UCSF, please contact the UCSF Audiology Clinic at 415/353-2101. Links: UCSF to Offer World’s First Disposable Hearing Aids Source: Twink Stern, News Services |
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