Editorial & Medical-Claims Standards

A hearing aid is a high-stakes, often-expensive purchase, and hearing loss is a sensitive health topic. These are the rules we hold ourselves to so you can trust what you read here — what we will and will not say, who writes and reviews it, and how we check our sources.

Everything here is information only — not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See an audiologist or doctor for a hearing test and a fitting.

01 · What we will and won't say

No cure claims — ever

Device information must stay within the exact intended-use and evidence statements supported for that product. We do not turn a general description of amplification into a promise of individual benefit or repair.

  • We do label supplied starting-price, trial, warranty, style, feature and regulatory fields and tell readers to verify them.
  • We don't say a hearing aid "cures", "reverses" or "fixes" hearing loss, or imply a diagnosis you should get from a professional.
  • We never use fear-based or shaming creative, fake testimonials, or pretend OTC devices are right for severe loss or for children.

In Great Britain, the MHRA regulates medical devices and requires devices placed on that market to be registered. UKCA is available, while qualifying CE-marked medical devices remain accepted under transitional routes until 2028 or 2030 depending on the device and legislation. Northern Ireland has different rules. See the current MHRA medical-device guidance rather than relying on a generic “MHRA,” “UKCA” or “CE” feed label.

02 · Who writes and reviews this

Source transparency and honest review status

Guides use the collective Sherpa Editorial Desk byline, a visible update date, and a source list with publisher, link and access date. We never invent expert personas or use a stock-photo “audiologist.” No clinician is currently registered as a reviewer, so every guide says it is not clinician-reviewed.

  • Collective byline. The desk is an Organization, not a fictional person or clinician.
  • No implied sign-off. `reviewedBy` schema appears only after a real qualified person has actually reviewed a page.
  • Cited and dated. Retained health claims trace to NIDCD, FDA, CDC/NIOSH, NHS, NICE or ASHA sources with an access date.

03 · The most sensitive slice

Medical red flags & when to see a professional

Some hearing changes are medical emergencies, not shopping decisions. Throughout the site we tell readers to see an audiologist or doctor — not buy a device — for sudden or rapidly worsening hearing loss, one-sided or asymmetric change, pain, drainage, marked dizziness, neurological symptoms, or concerning tinnitus. OTC hearing aids are for adults with perceived mild-to-moderate loss only; severe or profound loss, and children, need professional care. We never let a commercial CTA override that.

04 · Trials, returns & warranties

Buyer-protection transparency

A written trial or return policy is an important buyer protection when you buy a hearing aid. On brand cards we surface the feed's trial window, the warranty and the channel up front, and we weight the trial and warranty heavily in the Sherpa Score. Where a brand sells only through clinics and no price exists in the feed, the card should not invent one. Confirm all seller terms before paying; commercial-feed verification is separate from the editorial source review described above.