JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Approximately 14% of the adult population has tinnitus. Current tinnitus treatments are quite often costly and time-consuming. Telerehabilitation can potentially reduce the costs of treatment without compromising the level of effectiveness.

Objective:

Telerehabilitation is a quickly evolving research topic. Therefore, this systematic review update aims to give an overview of the research concerning the effectiveness of telerehabilitation interventions for self-management of tinnitus published between 2022 and 2025.

Methods:

This systematic review adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were consulted in search of eligible studies.

Results:

In total, 24 articles were included, of which six studied multiple telerehabilitation forms. Internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT) with guidance by a psychologist or audiologist was examined in 5 studies (sample size (n) =847), self-help manuals in one (n=10), technological self-help devices in three (n=286), smartphone applications in thirteen (n=23637), and other internet-based interventions in five (n=442). These rehabilitation categories were proven to be effective in decreasing tinnitus severity and relieving tinnitus distress as measured by tinnitus questionnaires such as Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI), Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) or Tinnitus Reaction Questionnaire (TRQ). Effect sizes ranged up to d= |2,12|. However, dropout rates were often high (range 0% to 94%) and all studies reported some to high concerns of risk of bias.

Conclusions:

Overall, telerehabilitation was found to be effective in reducing tinnitus severity and distress. It forms a possible tool to improve the self-management capacities of the patient and the accessibility of tinnitus care as a replacement or an addition to in-person care. Nevertheless, barriers such as lack of time, engagement, motivation, and openness of the patient, which cause high dropout rates, should be taken into consideration. Clinical Trial: The predefined protocol was registered in PROSPERO, with registration number CRD 42021285450.