ArticleJMIR mHealth and uHealth2022
Chronic Tinnitus and the Positive Effects of Sound Treatment via a Smartphone App: Mixed-Design Study.
Article in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of Telerehabilitation Interventions for Self-Management of Tinnitus: Update of a Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy of standard care versus acoustic therapy on acute tinnitus in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a randomized controlled trial.BMC medicine · 2025Trial
- Investigation of the effectiveness of sound enrichment in the treatment of tinnitus due to hearing loss.Brain and behavior · 2024Trial
- Meteorological extremes and their impact on tinnitus-related emergency room visits: a time-series analysis.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 · 2023Article
- The Effectiveness of a Smartphone Application for Tinnitus Relief.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTinnitus is a phantom auditory sensation in the absence of an external stimulus. It is accompanied by a broad range of negative emotional symptoms and a significantly lower quality of life. So far, there is no cure for tinnitus, although various treatment options have been tried. One of them is mobile technology employing dedicated apps based on sound therapy. The apps can be managed by the patient and tailored according to their needs.
objectiveThe study aims to assess the effect of a mobile app that generates background sounds on the severity of tinnitus.
methodsThe study involved 68 adults who had chronic tinnitus. Participants were divided into a study group (44 patients) and a control group (24 patients). For 6 months those in the study group used a free mobile app that enriched the sound environment with a background sound. Participants were instructed to use the app for at least 30 minutes a day using their preferred sound. The participants in the control group did not use the app. Subjective changes in the day-to-day functioning of both groups were evaluated using the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) questionnaire, a visual analog scale, and a user survey.
resultsAfter 3 months of using the app, the THI global score significantly decreased (P<.001) in the study group, decreasing again at 6 months (P<.001). The largest improvements were observed in the emotional and catastrophic reactions subscales. A clinically important change in the THI was reported by 39% of the study group (17/44). Almost 90% of the study participants (39/44) chose environmental sounds to listen to, the most popular being rain and ocean waves. In the control group, tinnitus severity did not change over 3 or 6 months.
conclusionsAlthough the participants still experienced limitations caused by tinnitus, the advantage of the app was that it led to lower negative emotions and thus reduced overall tinnitus severity. It is worth considering whether a mobile app might be incorporated into the management of tinnitus in a professional setting.
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