Review of Treatment of Tinnitus with a Customized Acoustic neural Stimulus: A Controlled Clinical Study

This study describes a new treatment, the Nueromonics Tinnitus Treatment (NTT), combining the use of acoustic stimulus augmented by a clinician providing a structured counseling program for tinnitus management. The abstract does not go into details as to how the treatment works; it describes the successful testing of this system. An overall success rate of 73% gives ample reason to suspect replications of the studies and possibly providing a new treatment modality and assessments, affecting several clinical care settings, such as primary care, mental health, emergency rooms, and psychiatric wards.

The audience target would be clinicians looking to improve the assessment of veterans with auditory disorders with mental health comorbidity. The abstract is solution oriented and would translate well to the social worker devising a systemic change to patient care from the veteran in the hospital bed to the veteran in the emergency room who may be misdiagnosed due to the fact that she cannot communicate due an auditory disorder. This study would facilitate sound structural changes within the VA system ensuring that our veterans have better care. With this information becoming more prevalent, practitioners could become more aware of the culture of the deaf and hard of hearing veterans and could better accommodate their needs and better round out the person-in-environment approach.

Davis, P. B., Wilde, R. A., Steed, L. G., and Hanley, P. J. (2008). Treatment of tinnitus with a customized acoustic neural stimulus: A controlled clinical study [Abstract]. ENT-Ear, Nose & Throat Journal, 87(6), 330-339.Journal, 87(6), 330-339.