The fudan tinnitus relieving system application for tinnitus management

OBJECTIVE

Tinnitus is a highly prevalent hearing disorder, and the burden of tinnitus diagnosis and treatment is very heavy, especially in China. In order to better benefit the majority of tinnitus patients, we developed a new mobile app based on our patented invention - named the Fudan Tinnitus Relieving System (FTRS) - for tinnitus management. The FTRS app aims to alleviate patients' tinnitus symptoms using customized sound therapy, to evaluate the treatment effect, to provide a doctor-patient communication platform, and to support tinnitus rehabilitation and auditory health.

METHODS

In this study, we introduced the major functions of the FTRS app, analyzed the geographical distribution of users around China, and performed an analysis on the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with tinnitus, including age and tinnitus position, duration, frequency, and severity in both men and women based on the user information collected by the FTRS. The data for 22,867 participants (males: 13,715; females: 9,152) were included in the statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The FTRS app has been popular with tinnitus patients since its launch in May 2018 with its integrated pitch-matching test, individualized sound therapy, follow-up assessment, and provision of easy-to-understand science and education for tinnitus. The users were located throughout Mainland China but primarily concentrated in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Shandong provinces. We observed gender differences regarding age and tinnitus frequency, severity, and position among the app's users. The FTRS has not only facilitated patients' access to treatment at times and places that are convenient for them, but also provides a large amount of data based on user feedback in order to support clinical tinnitus research.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with traditional face-to-face medical treatment, the FTRS greatly reduced medical costs and enabled patients with tinnitus to arrange their own treatment times. At the same time, the FTRS has provided standardized tinnitus data that have laid a foundation for clinical research on tinnitus. However, because of differences in the popularity and utilization of smart devices, FTRS user data might only reflect the situation of tinnitus patients who can effectively use smart devices. Therefore, the findings of this study need to be interpreted with caution.

Guided Internet-based versus face-to-face clinical care in the management of tinnitus: study protocol for a multi-centre randomised controlled trial

Background

Innovative strategies are required to improve access to evidence-based tinnitus interventions. A guided Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) intervention for tinnitus was therefore developed for a U.K. population. Initial clinical trials indicated efficacy of iCBT at reducing tinnitus severity and associated comorbidities such as insomnia and depression. The aim of this phase III randomised controlled trial is to compare this new iCBT intervention with an established intervention, namely face-to-face clinical care for tinnitus.

Methods/design

This will be a multi-centre study undertaken across three hospitals in the East of England. The design is a randomised, two-arm, parallel-group, non-inferiority trial with a 2-month follow-up. The experimental group will receive the guided iCBT intervention, whereas the active control group will receive the usual face-to-face clinical care. An independent researcher will randomly assign participants, using a computer-generated randomisation schedule, after stratification for tinnitus severity. There will be 46 participants in each group. The primary assessment measure will be the Tinnitus Functional Index. Data analysis will establish whether non-inferiority is achieved using a pre-defined non-inferiority margin.

Discussion

This protocol outlines phase III of a clinical trial comparing a new iCBT with established face-to-face care for tinnitus. If guided iCBT for tinnitus proves to be as effective as the usual tinnitus care, it may be a viable additional management route for individuals with tinnitus. This could increase access to evidence-based effective tinnitus care and reduce the pressures on existing health care systems.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02665975. Registered on 22 January 2016.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-017-1931-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.