About & Trust
Medical Review Process
How we review clinical hearing-health information
HearingAids.md publishes general education about hearing loss, hearing tests, hearing aids, tinnitus, hearing care, and related topics. Some of that information can influence whether a reader seeks care, chooses a product, or interprets a symptom. Our medical review process is designed to reduce the risk of inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading clinical information.
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What “medically reviewed” means
When an article is labeled medically reviewed, a qualified professional has reviewed the version prepared for publication for clinical accuracy, appropriate context, and consistency with current evidence and professional guidance. The article should identify the reviewer by name, list relevant credentials or licensure, and show the medical-review date. Medical review does not mean that the reviewer evaluated the reader, guarantees a result, or establishes a clinician-patient relationship.
Which content receives medical review
We prioritize medical review for content that includes meaningful claims about signs, symptoms, causes, or types of hearing loss; hearing-test methods or interpretation; diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, candidacy, or expected outcomes; tinnitus, dizziness, ear disease, sudden hearing changes, or other symptoms; safety, contraindications, warning signs, or when to seek professional care; and clinical differences between over-the-counter and prescription hearing aids.
Who may serve as a medical reviewer
We match the reviewer’s qualifications to the subject. Depending on the article, a reviewer may be a licensed audiologist, physician, otolaryngologist, qualified hearing instrument specialist acting within their professional scope, speech-language or hearing scientist, or another appropriately credentialed professional. Reviewers should have relevant subject-matter experience, work within their scope, and disclose relationships that could affect—or appear to affect—their judgment.
Our review workflow
The process includes editorial research and drafting, editorial fact-checking, professional medical review, revision and resolution of substantive concerns, and publication with clear author, update, and reviewer information when review has been completed. Reviewers evaluate clinical accuracy, terminology, balance, safety language, referral guidance, and the distinction between screening, diagnosis, and treatment.
Sources used in clinical review
We give priority to guidance and safety information from applicable regulators, resources from the National Institutes of Health and National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, current professional guidelines and consensus statements, systematic reviews and other relevant peer-reviewed research, and official instructions or labeling when discussing a specific device.
Reviewer independence and conflicts of interest
Reviewers must disclose relevant financial and professional relationships, including employment, consulting, speaking, research funding, free products, investments, referral arrangements, or close relationships with a company discussed in an article. A company discussed in an article cannot serve as the independent medical reviewer of that article.
Keeping medically reviewed content current
We may re-review an article when new evidence or professional guidance could change its conclusion, a regulator issues a new rule or safety communication, a correction request identifies a potentially important clinical issue, the article undergoes a substantial rewrite, or the review date or subject matter indicates reassessment is appropriate.
Corrections and disagreements
If a reader or professional identifies a possible clinical error, we review the relevant evidence and consult a qualified reviewer when appropriate. Significant errors are corrected as promptly as their potential impact requires and may receive a visible correction note.
When to seek professional care
An online article or hearing screening cannot evaluate your ears or diagnose the cause of a hearing change. Seek prompt professional care for sudden or rapidly worsening hearing loss, fluid, pus, or blood from the ear, ear pain, severe dizziness or vertigo, a suspected object in the ear, or another concerning symptom. For nonurgent questions, an audiologist, physician, or other appropriately licensed hearing-care professional can assess your individual needs.
A note about our online hearing screening
The HearingAids.md online hearing screening is an educational screening tool. It is not a diagnostic hearing evaluation, does not identify the cause of hearing difficulty, and cannot determine whether a hearing aid is appropriate for you. Results should be interpreted alongside your symptoms, history, and—when indicated—a professional evaluation.