Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: May 5, 2022
Date Accepted: Dec 20, 2022
Treatment Outcome of Smart Device Based Tinnitus Retraining Therapy: prospective cohort study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a standard treatment for tinnitus that consists of directive counseling and sound therapy. However, traditional TRT is provided on a face-to-face basis using time-consuming protocols.
Objective:
This study aimed to compare the efficacy of smart device-based tinnitus retraining therapy (smart-TRT) and conventional TRT (conv-TRT)
Methods:
For this multi-center prospective randomized controlled trial, 84 tinnitus patients were recruited: 42 in the smart-TRT group and 42 in the control group (conv-TRT). An interactive tablet application was used to conduct directive counseling in the smart-TRT program. The conv-TRT group attended traditional face-to-face counseling. The primary outcome measure was the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), and the secondary outcome measure was the visual analog scale (VAS).
Results:
Both treatments had a significant treatment effect, with similar improvements over time. The improvements in THI scores were -23.3 in the smart-TRT group and -16.8 points in the conv-TRT group. The improvements in VAS scores were also similar between the groups (smart-TRT: between -1.2 and -3.3; conv-TRT: between -0.7 and -1.7).
Conclusions:
Smart device-based TRT can be an effective alternative for tinnitus patients. Given the time required for face-to-face counseling, smart-TRT can be a cost-effective solution with similar treatment outcomes to conv-TRT. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01663467
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