February 6-12 is Tinnitus Awareness Week. The annual awareness-raising initiative aims to draw attention to tinnitus among patients and professionals. Among those running awareness campaigns for the week are the British Tinnitus Association, the American Tinnitus Association and Better Hearing Australia.
The British Tinnitus Association (BTA) runs a number of awareness-raising and support initiatives for tinnitus patients. For Tinnitus Awareness Week, they have launched a campaign encouraging users to record 10-second videos about what they think of when they think of tinnitus. You can join the campaign here.
The Ida Institute offers several tools and resources developed in collaboration with a group of specialists including audiologists, ENTs, and psychologists.
The Tinnitus First Aid Kit, created in partnership with BTA, is a patient resource for people who experience tinnitus for the first time. It explains what tinnitus is, potential causes, and suggestions for coping with tinnitus until the patient is able to consult a professional.
The Tinnitus Thermometer asks patients to evaluate how they feel about their tinnitus at the time of their appointment. It can be used at the beginning of every appointment to take the temperature of their experience, track their habituation process, and help set and manage expectations for treatment. We recently launched a mobile-friendly web tool of the Tinnitus Thermometer, which you can visit here.
The Tinnitus Communication Guide takes professionals through the patient interview, helping them ask appropriate, empathetic, and constructive questions about the patient’s experience with tinnitus. As many clinicians find tinnitus a challenging symptom to diagnose or discuss with their patients, the Tinnitus Communication Guide can be used to structure appointments and ensure that the patients’ needs are addressed.
Click here to learn more about our Tinnitus Management tools.