Today's Perspective
Kristin Wiisanen PharmD, FAPhA, FCCP, Pharmacy Today editor in chief
Untreated age-related hearing loss is a major health and social problem, and nearly 30 million U.S. adults could benefit from hearing aids. However, cost and access remain significant barriers to needed care. Nearly 90% of Americans live within about 5 miles of a pharmacy, so it was a logical step when FDA authorized the sale of hearing aids in pharmacies in 2022. This ruling opened up a new field of “hearing self-care” for pharmacists.
The cover story of this issue of Pharmacy Today delves deeper into this topic and the pharmacist’s role in helping patients access and use hearing aids. This is an essential issue—just 16% of adults aged 20 to 69 years who could benefit from hearing assistance devices ever use them. How can pharmacists help? First and foremost, by providing encouragement and motivation. It can be difficult for anyone to come to terms with hearing loss and the advice of a pharmacist can go a long way toward patients realizing they need assistance and finding the right care. Pharmacists can also help patients choose from the wide range of available devices and guide patients when they need more than self-care for hearing loss. Learn more about these issues and how you can be a resource to patients in this month’s cover story.
In this issue of Today, you’ll also find tips on medication safety for veterinary prescriptions, new clinical practice guidelines for TB, and the latest information on the risk of liver damage from herbal supplements. Learn about suzetrigine, a new non-opioid pain medication, brush up on cannabis regulation, and stay up to date with your CPE credit with this month’s article on guidelines for clinical management of acne.
If you carry hearing aids in your pharmacy, take some time to learn more and become a resource for your patients. Audiologists are also increasingly reaching out to partner with pharmacists to provide collaborative care for patients with hearing loss. If you want to know more, check out the APhA-licensed certificate training course on OTC hearing aids. You can also find patient care resources at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (www.asha.org/), including patient handouts, assessment criteria, and audiologist referral guidelines. ■