Evaluation and treatment of tinnitus: comparative effectiveness

Pichora-Fuller MK, Santaguida P, Hammill A, Oremus M, Westerberg B, Ali U, Patterson C, Raina P
Record ID 32013000716
English
Authors' objectives: A review was undertaken to evaluate the peer-reviewed literature on three areas of tinnitus management for the following Key Questions (KQs): (1) measures used to assess patients for management needs (KQ1); (2) effectiveness of treatments (KQ2); and (3) identification of prognostic factors (KQ3).
Authors' recommendations: There is low strength of evidence (SOE) indicating that cognitive behavioral therapy interventions improve tinnitus-specific quality of life relative to inactive controls. For pharmacological interventions, SOE is low for improvements to subjective loudness from neurotransmitter drugs versus placebo; insufficient for antidepressants, other drugs, and food supplements with respect to subjective loudness; and insufficient for all other outcomes. There is insufficient SOE to suggest that medical interventions improve outcomes relative to inactive controls; sleep and global quality of life were not evaluated for medical interventions. The SOE for the adverse effect of sedation in pharmacological studies was judged insufficient. Future research should address the substantial gaps identified for KQ1 and KQ3. For KQ2, future research should concentrate on improving collection of adverse effects, calculating sample size, and specifying doses for interventions.
Details
Project Status: Completed
Year Published: 2013
English language abstract: An English language summary is available
Publication Type: Not Assigned
Country: United States
MeSH Terms
  • Diagnosis, Differential
Contact
Organisation Name: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Contact Address: Center for Outcomes and Evidence Technology Assessment Program, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD 20850, USA. Tel: +1 301 427 1610; Fax: +1 301 427 1639;
Contact Name: martin.erlichman@ahrq.hhs.gov
Contact Email: martin.erlichman@ahrq.hhs.gov
Copyright: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
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