Promotion and views on tinnitus self-help within United Kingdom national health service audiology departments

Smith, Sandra N.; Broomhead, Emily; Greenwell, Kate; Watts, Emily; Stockdale, David; Hoare, Derek J.

Abstract

© 2018, © 2018 British Society of Audiology, International Society of Audiology, and Nordic Audiological Society. Self-help has the potential to provide low-cost and effective ways of improving access to psychological support for people with tinnitus. When developing and evaluating resources it is important to consider issues that may influence successful implementation. This Survey explored clinicians’ use and views on self-help, and barriers to implementation. An online survey was distributed to 220 UK audiology departments. One-hundred and twenty-four clinicians responded to the survey (91 audiologists, 32 hearing therapists, 1 clinical psychologist), each representing a different tinnitus department. Two-thirds of respondents reported providing or recommending self-help resources. Potential benefits were patient empowerment and providing a means of engaging patients in their care. Almost half of respondents felt that there is insufficient training or guidance for clinicians on using or promoting self-help. Clinicians felt that for patients with low-level tinnitus severity, self-help may reduce the number of audiology appointments required. For patients with more complex needs self-help may be useful to engage with between clinical appointments. Further research is needed to determine effectiveness, who benefits, and by what mechanism, before clinicians can confidently recommend or implement self-help. Clinicians will benefit from formal guidance on promoting and supporting use of self-help for tinnitus.

Citation

Smith, S. N., Broomhead, E., Greenwell, K., Watts, E., Stockdale, D., & Hoare, D. J. (2018). Promotion and views on tinnitus self-help within United Kingdom national health service audiology departments. International Journal of Audiology, 57(12), 900-907. https://doi.org/10.1080/14992027.2018.1512013

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 9, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Sep 27, 2018
• Publication Date: Dec 2, 2018
• Deposit Date: Dec 14, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 28, 2019
• Journal: International Journal of Audiology
• Print ISSN: 1499-2027
• Electronic ISSN: 1708-8186
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Open
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 57
• Issue: 12
• Pages: 900-907
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14992027.2018.1512013
• Keywords: Speech and Hearing; Linguistics and Language; Language and Linguistics
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1417189
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14992027.2018.1512013?journalCode=iija20