Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39965780›Full record

Trial reportJournal of medical Internet research2025

Continuous Improvement of Chronic Tinnitus Through a 9-Month Smartphone-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Uso Walter, Stefan Pennig, Lothar Bleckmann, Kristina Röschmann-Doose, Thomas Wittig, Jörn Thomsen, Winfried Schlee

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of medical Internet research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Review
  3. Review
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  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Uso WalterENT Practice Walter & Zander, Duisburg, Germany.ORCID 0009-0008-9411-950X
Stefan Pennigcontext, Essen-Kettwig, Germany.ORCID 0009-0006-5547-0781
Lothar BleckmannENT Practice Dr med Bleckmann, Kleve, Germany.ORCID 0009-0006-0916-5225
Kristina Röschmann-DooseG Pohl-Boskamp GmbH & Co KG, Hohenlockstedt, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-1375-2418
Thomas WittigG Pohl-Boskamp GmbH & Co KG, Hohenlockstedt, Germany.ORCID 0009-0005-8092-2893
Jörn ThomsenG Pohl-Boskamp GmbH & Co KG, Hohenlockstedt, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-1601-9948
Winfried SchleeEastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, St Gallen, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-7942-1788

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTinnitus is the perception of sound without an external auditive stimulus and can be a severe burden for affected patients. Medical guidelines recommend cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for tinnitus treatment, which effectively improves tinnitus-related distress and anxiety.

objectiveThis study investigates the outcome of a 9-month smartphone-based CBT for patients with tinnitus.

methodsThe randomized controlled clinical trial in this study investigates the efficacy of a smartphone-based CBT for 187 patients with chronic tinnitus over a 9-month treatment period. In the initial 3 months, a waiting list design was applied, and in the subsequent study phase, the data of both treatment groups were collectively analyzed. The scores on the Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ); 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9); 9-item Self-Efficacy, Optimism, Pessimism (SWOP-K9) questionnaire; and 20-item Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ-20) were assessed as endpoints after 3 and 9 months of treatment.

resultsWe observed a statistically significant reduction in the tinnitus burden in patients who received the smartphone-based CBT intervention. Although no changes were observed initially in the TQ sum scores in the waiting control group (baseline mean, 37.8, SD 4.7; 3 months mean 37.5, SD 4.8; analysis of covariance [ANCOVA] P=.52), the scores significantly decreased once the app-based CBT had commenced. Data pooled from both groups revealed significant reduction in the TQ sum score by 12.49 (SD 1.44) (ANCOVA, P<.001) and 18.48 (SD 1.85) (ANCOVA, P<.001) points after 3 and 9 months, respectively, which was also clinically important. The calculated Cohen d was 1.38. Similarly, the scores on PSQ-20 (-9.14 points; ANCOVA, P<.001), PHQ-9 (-2.47 points; ANCOVA, P<.001), and SWOP-K9 (0.17 points; ANCOVA, P<.001) were significantly improved at the end of the therapy, with corresponding intermediate effect sizes after 9 months.

conclusionsThe data in our study provide evidence of statistically significant, clinically relevant, and continuous benefits of an app-based CBT intervention in patients with chronic tinnitus.

trial registrationDeutsches Register Klinischer Studien DRKS00022973; https://drks.de/search/de/trial/DRKS00022973.

Indexed as

Cognitive Behavioral TherapySmartphoneTinnitusAdultAgedChronic DiseaseFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSurveys and QuestionnairesTreatment Outcomeapplicationchronic tinnituscognitive behavioral therapydigital healthdigital interventiondigital technologymHealthmobile appmobile health apprandomized controlled trialsmartphonestatistical analysistinnitus

Identifiers

PMID39965780
PMCPMC11888023

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.