The upcoming OTC Hearing Aid and Hearing Self-Care Symposium, hosted by Pitt on June 7, aims to bring together experts from pharmacy, audiology, and public health to discuss the impact of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids on patient access to hearing healthcare in the U.S.
Close to 30 million adults in the U.S. suffer from some degree of hearing loss, but only about one-fifth of those who could benefit from hearing aids actually seek them out. To address this issue, the FDA introduced a new category of OTC hearing aids for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss in fall 2022.
The symposium will feature discussions between pharmacists and audiologists on how their professions can collaborate to promote the safe and effective use of hearing health care solutions, covering topics such as public health, regulations, interprofessional practice, and implementation for OTC hearing aids.
Kelly King, an audiologist and program officer at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will be the keynote speaker for the event.
Pitt has been at the forefront of OTC hearing aid education, offering an online interprofessional course developed by faculty members in the School of Pharmacy and the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) has an exclusive license agreement with Pitt to offer its Pharmacy-Based OTC Hearing Aids training program.
Registration is currently open for the symposium, with opportunities for both pharmacist and audiologist continuing education credits available. For more information on how to register or attend the symposium, contact [otchearingaids@pitt.edu].
