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Management of tinnitus in English NHS audiology departments: an evaluation of current practice

Hoare, Derek J.; Gander, Phillip E; Collins, Luke C.; Smith, Sandra; Hall, Deborah A.

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Authors

DEREK HOARE derek.hoare@nottingham.ac.uk
Associate Professor in Hearing Sciences

Phillip E Gander

Luke C. Collins

Deborah A. Hall



Abstract

Rationale, aim and objective: In 2009, the UK Department of Health formalized recommended National Health Service practices for the management of tinnitus from primary care onwards. It is timely therefore to evaluate the perceived practicality, utility and impact of those guidelines in the context of current practice.
Methods: We surveyed current practice by posting a 36-item questionnaire to all audiology and hearing therapy staff that we were able to identify as being involved in tinnitus patient care in England.
Results: In total, 138 out of 351 clinicians responded (39% response rate). The findings indicate a consensus opinion that management should be tailored to individual symptom profiles but that there is little standardization of assessment procedures or tools in use.
Conclusions: While the lack of standardized practice might provide flexibility to meet local demand, it has drawbacks. It makes it difficult to ascertain key standards of best practice, it complicates the process of clinical audit, it implies unequal patient access to care, and it limits the implementation of translational research outcomes. We recommend that core elements of practice should be standardized, including use of a validated tinnitus questionnaires and an agreed pathway for decision making to better understand the rationale for management strategies offered.

Citation

Hoare, D. J., Gander, P. E., Collins, L. C., Smith, S., & Hall, D. A. (2010). Management of tinnitus in English NHS audiology departments: an evaluation of current practice. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 18(2), https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2753.2010.01566.x

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Aug 18, 2010
Publication Date Nov 19, 2010
Deposit Date Oct 17, 2016
Publicly Available Date Oct 17, 2016
Journal Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice
Print ISSN 1356-1294
Electronic ISSN 1365-2753
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 18
Issue 2
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2753.2010.01566.x
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/706922
Publisher URL http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2753.2010.01566.x/pdf

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