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. 2008 Sep;12(3):223-35.
doi: 10.1177/1084713808319943. Epub 2008 Jul 3.

Tinnitus outcomes assessment

Mary B Meikle  1 , Barbara J Stewart, Susan E Griest, James A Henry
Affiliations

Tinnitus outcomes assessment

Mary B Meikle et al. Trends Amplif. 2008 Sep.

Abstract

Over the past two decades, recognition has grown that measures for evaluating treatment outcomes must be designed specifically to have high responsiveness. With that in mind, four major types of tinnitus measures are reviewed, including psychoacoustic measures, self-report questionnaires concerning functional effects of tinnitus, various rating scales, and global outcome measures. Nine commonly used tinnitus questionnaires, developed in the period 1980-2000, are reviewed. Because of many similarities between tinnitus and pain, comparisons between pain and tinnitus measures are discussed, and recommendations that have been made for developing a core set of measures to evaluate treatment-related changes in pain are presented as providing a fruitful path for developing a core set of measures for tinnitus. Finally, the importance of having both immediately obtainable outcome measures (psychoacoustic, rating scales, or single global measures) and longer term measures (questionnaires covering the negative effects of tinnitus) is emphasized for further work in tinnitus outcomes assessment.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Three commonly used types of rating scales.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Global measure of patient's perception of change following treatment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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