Evidence map›Paper›PMID 22053947›Full record

ArticleBMC health services research2011

Treatment options for subjective tinnitus: self reports from a sample of general practitioners and ENT physicians within Europe and the USA.

Deborah A Hall, Miguel J A Láinez, Craig W Newman, Tanit Ganz Sanchez, Martin Egler, Frank Tennigkeit, Marco Koch, Berthold Langguth

Open access · goldAbstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in BMC health services research, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 53 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
53citing papers in PubMed, 10 pooled it
2.7field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

53 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 121 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Ginkgo biloba for tinnitus.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022
    Pooled it
  3. Systematic Review on Healthcare and Societal Costs of Tinnitus.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
    Pooled it
  4. Cognitive behavioural therapy for tinnitus.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020
    Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Guideline
  7. Pooled it
  8. Zinc supplementation for tinnitus.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016
    Pooled it
  9. Pooled it
  10. Pooled it
  11. Efficacy and safety of AM-101 in the treatment of acute inner ear tinnitus--a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase II study.Otology & neurotology : official publication of the American Otological Society, American Neurotology Society [and] European Academy of Otology and Neurotology · 2014
    Trial
  12. Pilot evaluation of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation in chronic tinnitus: clinical outcomes and DTI insights.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026
    Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. The Current State of Tinnitus Diagnosis and Treatment: a Multidisciplinary Expert Perspective.Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology : JARO · 2024
    Review
  18. Frontiers in neurology · 2024
    Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 6 institutions in 5 countries.

Deborah A HallNIHR National Biomedical Research Unit in Hearing, Nottingham, UK. deb.hall@nottingham.ac.uk
Miguel J A Láinez
Craig W Newman
Tanit Ganz Sanchez
Martin Egler
Frank Tennigkeit
Marco Koch
Berthold Langguth
MerLion Pharma (Germany) · DECleveland Clinic · USNIHR Nottingham Hearing Biomedical Research Unit · GBUniversidade de São Paulo · BRUniversitat de València · ESUniversity of Regensburg · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTinnitus affects about 10-15% of the general population and risks for developing tinnitus are rising through increased exposure to leisure noise through listening to personal music players at high volume. The disorder has a considerable heterogeneity and so no single mechanism is likely to explain the presence of tinnitus in all those affected. As such there is no standardized management pathway nor singly effective treatment for the condition. Choice of clinical intervention is a multi-factorial decision based on many factors, including assessment of patient needs and the healthcare context. The present research surveyed clinicians working in six Westernized countries with the aims: a) to establish the range of referral pathways, b) to evaluate the typical treatment options for categories of subjective tinnitus defined as acute or chronic, and c) to seek clinical opinion about levels of satisfaction with current standards of practice.

methodsA structured online questionnaire was conducted with 712 physicians who reported seeing at least one tinnitus patients in the previous three months. They were 370 general practitioners (GPs) and 365 ear-nose-throat specialists (ENTs) from the US, Germany, UK, France, Italy and Spain.

resultsOur international comparison of health systems for tinnitus revealed that although the characteristics of tinnitus appeared broadly similar across countries, the patient's experience of clinical services differed widely. GPs and ENTs were always involved in referral and management to some degree, but multi-disciplinary teams engaged either neurology (Germany, Italy and Spain) or audiology (UK and US) professionals. For acute subjective tinnitus, pharmacological prescriptions were common, while audiological and psychological approaches were more typical for chronic subjective tinnitus; with several specific treatment options being highly country specific. All therapy options were associated with low levels of satisfaction.

conclusionsDespite a large variety of treatment options, the low success rates of tinnitus therapy lead to frustration of physicians and patients alike. For subjective tinnitus in particular, effective therapeutic options with guidelines about key diagnostic criteria are urgently needed.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelGeneral PracticePractice Patterns, Physicians'SpecializationAcute DiseaseAdultChronic DiseaseEuropeFemaleHealth Services ResearchHumansMaleMiddle AgedReferral and ConsultationSelf ReportTinnitus

Identifiers

PMID22053947
PMCPMC3227628
OpenAlexW2154026132

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.