The Benefits and Shortcomings of a Specialised Tinnitus Clinic and Patient Engagement with Online Tinnitus Therapies

Abstract

Background: Tinnitus patients may have perceived shortcomings of clinic attendance, hindering specific needs and priorities being successfully met. As such, the current study aims to investigate patient’s perspectives of the benefits and shortcomings of the tinnitus service provided at the University of Auckland Hearing and Tinnitus Clinic (UOAHATC). A better understanding of these issues may lead to alternative treatment methods that bridge the gaps in the current clinic setting and have the ability to address any unmet needs. Hence, the current study also aims to determine if and how online tinnitus therapies may help tinnitus patients and how patient characteristics contribute to interest in and/or use of such novel tinnitus therapies. Method: A quantitative descriptive survey design was used. Participants were tinnitus patients from the UOAHATC. Sixty-four (51.2 %) were male and 61 (48.8 %) were female with overall age ranges between 25 and 81 years, and overall mean age being 59.1 years. Using a web-based format allowed for automated data collection in which survey responses could be transmitted directly to an online data base file. Findings: The main shortcomings were that tinnitus appointments were expensive and that treatments were not effective. The main benefits of the clinic were the opportunity to discuss tinnitus and receive satisfactory explanations about tinnitus from informed staff. The majority of tinnitus patients at the HATC did not report using online tinnitus therapies and only 18.7% of the respondents indicated using them. The main online therapy being used was ‘online sound therapies’ and ‘online support groups (e.g. Tinnitus Talk).’ Respondents ranked perceived helpfulness of an intervention to be the most important dimension with regard to engaging with online tinnitus therapies. Lastly, respondents ranked being unsure about reliability of online tinnitus therapies to be the most important with regards to perceived barriers in engaging with online tinnitus therapies. Conclusions: Patient’s perceived satisfaction of the tinnitus service provided at the HATC provided a better understanding of the gaps in the provision of care by the clinic. Furthermore, the current study may help indicate what may be important to influence patient engagement with online tinnitus therapies.