The Ida Institute is very pleased to announce the launch of our first tools for tinnitus. Developed with a team of collaborators including audiologists, ENTs, and psychologists, the Tinnitus Management suite of tools offers hearing care professionals a way to structure appointments with their patients.
The Tinnitus Thermometer is designed to help patients articulate how they feel about their tinnitus on any given day. This allows the hearing care professional to tailor their counseling method and track their patient’s progress.
The Tinnitus Communication Guide is a visual explanation of the difference between the presence of tinnitus and its intrusiveness. It illustrates to the patient that while they may always hear their tinnitus, how they are affected by it can change over time.
A third tool, the Tinnitus First Aid Kit, was designed for patient use in collaboration with the British Tinnitus Association. The Tinnitus First Aid Kit is a resource for new tinnitus patients to help them understand and deal with their condition at the onset of tinnitus.
All of the tools aim to offer hearing care professionals a way to address their patients’ concerns and to help ease patient anxiety regarding tinnitus, allowing them to manage their condition and live well with it. The tools are a product of the Ida mini-seminar, “Tinnitus Challenge: Moving Forward with Person Centered Care,” which was held in December, 2015. Fifteen participants from eight countries met over a day and a half to discuss how hearing healthcare professionals and tinnitus patients manage tinnitus. We wish to thank all of our collaborators for their input and hard work to make these tools a reality, and look forward to hearing from our community about their use.