Wayne Staab

Dr. Staab is an internationally recognized authority in hearing aids. As President of Dr. Wayne J. Staab and Associates, he is engaged in consulting, research, development, manufacturing, education, and marketing projects related to hearing. His professional career has included University teaching, hearing clinic work, hearing aid company management and sales, and extensive work with engineering in developing and bringing new technology and products to the discipline of hearing. This varied background allows him to couple manufacturing and business with the science of acoustics to bring innovative developments and insights to our discipline. Dr. Staab has authored numerous books, chapters, and articles related to hearing aids and their fitting, and is an internationally-requested presenter. He is a past President and past Executive Director of the American Auditory Society and a retired Fellow of the International Collegium of Rehabilitative Audiology. Interests engaged in outside of the above include: fishing, hunting, hiking, mountain biking, golf, travel, tennis, softball, lecturing, sporting clays, 4-wheeling, archery, swimming, guitar, computers, and photography. These are great topics of discussion away from business.

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OTC Hearing Aids and PSAPs

This post continues the comments by many hearing professionals expressing concerns that OTC hearing aid sales will result in dissatisfied users because: The instruments are not professionally fitted An audiogram is necessary OTC-sold devices (previously/also defined as PSAPs) are of poor quality and will not meet the needs of the hearing impaired, and Poor experiences by the purchaser will discourage

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OTC Hearing Aid Quality

Many hearing professionals have expressed concerns that poor OTC hearing aid quality will result in dissatisfied users, for the following reasons: The instruments are not professionally fitted An audiogram is necessary OTC-sold devices (previously defined as PSAPs) are of poor quality and will not meet the needs of the hearing impaired, and Poor experiences by the purchaser will discourage them from

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OTC Hearing Aid – The Audiogram

Many hearing professionals have expressed concerns that OTC hearing aid sales will result in dissatisfied users because: The instruments are not professionally fitted An audiogram is necessary OTC-sold devices (previously defined as PSAPs) are of poor quality and will not meet the needs of the hearing impaired, and Poor experiences by the purchaser will discourage them from seeking additional assistance

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OTC Hearing Aid Fittings

Both PCAST (President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology) and NAS (National Academies of Sciences) have recommended that OTC hearing aid (over-the-counter) sales be permitted for mild-to-moderate hearing losses. Additionally, the SB 9 Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2016 introduced by Senators Warren and Grassley Senate Bill further requires that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) remove the “normal

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Hearing Screening for OTC Hearing Aids

Accommodating the OTC Hearing Aid Discussion: Hearing Screening in the Absence of Audiometry – Part 2 by Wayne M. Garrison* and Joseph H. Bochner** This is the second of a two-part series on an evaluated option to hearing level identification to fit OTC hearing aids in the absence of audiometry. Part 1 introduced an online hearing level identification test,

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Hearing Test Without An Audiogram

by Wayne M. Garrison* and Joseph H. Bochner** Editor Note: With legalized OTC (over-the-counter) hearing aids sales expected as a hearing-impaired consumer option, a previous post asked if it was possible to predict hearing level without an audiogram? This question was raised because essentially every argument against OTC hearing aid sales states that an audiogram is necessary, but is that

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Human Ear Concha Dimensions – Part 4

It is interesting that although many products have been designed to be worn in the ear, there is little information specifically about the ear concha dimensions of the outer ear, the most likely location for placement and retention. This would seem to be of much more significance than many other ear measurements that have been made, especially for those who

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Human Concha Measurements

Anthropometry is an ergonomic core of any attempt to resolve the dilemma of “fitting tasks to the human.”1 For external ear products (hearing aids, hearables, earbuds, etc.), comfort, cosmetics, and retention are the three critical areas leading to acceptance or rejection of a product. These are issues that should be addressed at the start of a project development, rather than

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Hearing Self-Test – Can You Predict Hearing Status Without Audiogram?

Legalized OTC (over-the-counter) hearing aids are coming as a new consumer option. One of the arguments against this practice is that the potential purchaser has not had an audiogram from which to determine the type and degree of hearing levels to assist in the selection of the appropriate hearing aid, if such is to be recommended. However, serious discussion exists

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The Human Ear – Part 3

This post is a third in a series related to the anatomy of the human ear, specifically of the pinna, or auricle. Part 1 of this series started by identifying and defining the main external structural features of the auricle. Part 2 concentrated on two primary dimensions of the auricle – length and width, but looked at these dimensions primarily