Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42096236›Full record

Trial reportJAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery2026

Mobile Application as a Digital Therapeutic for Chronic Tinnitus: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Koichiro Wasano, Taiji Kawasaki, Fumiyuki Goto, Yoshihiko Hiraga, Shinji Nagai, Madoka Tominaga, Kaoru Ogawa

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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.

Koichiro WasanoDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
Taiji KawasakiDepartment of Otolaryngology, Japanese Red Cross Shizuoka Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan.
Fumiyuki GotoDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
Yoshihiko HiragaDepartment of Otolaryngology, Japanese Red Cross Shizuoka Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan.
Shinji NagaiKyorin Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd, Tokyo, Japan.
Madoka TominagaKyorin Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd, Tokyo, Japan.
Kaoru OgawaDepartment of Otolaryngology, Oto Clinic Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Importance: Tinnitus is a highly prevalent condition that has no cure and can severely impair quality of life. Patients who receive cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and hearing aid therapy for chronic tinnitus accompanied by hearing loss have shown some improvement, but access to these interventions is limited. Objective: To develop a prototype digital therapeutic mobile app that provides educational counseling and CBT elements for treating chronic tinnitus symptoms and test its efficacy and safety for 16 weeks in patients reporting distressing chronic tinnitus. Design, Setting, and Participants: This double-blind, sham-controlled randomized clinical trial was conducted from September 2023 to February 2025 in individuals diagnosed with mild to severe chronic tinnitus. The trial included a 16-week treatment phase followed by an 8-week follow-up phase. Data were analyzed from February to March 2025. Intervention: Participants used either the therapeutic app or a sham control app that lacked the therapeutic functions. During the 8-week follow-up, the app's therapeutic functions were blocked and only the app's recording function was available. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was change from baseline to week 16 in the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) score, an index of tinnitus-related distress and functional impairment. Secondary outcomes were patient-reported and included THI, Tinnitus Functional Index, tinnitus loudness and control numeric rating scales, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Athens Insomnia Scale, and Patient Global Impression of Improvement. Results: A total of 60 participants (33 [55%] female; median [IQR] age, 58.5 [52.0-64.0] years) were assessed, including 30 participants in the therapeutic app group and 30 participants in the sham-control app group. The overall mean (SD) baseline THI was 41.3 (16.9). At week 16, the therapeutic app group showed significantly greater improvement in THI scores compared with the sham-control app group (between-group difference in change in THI, -20.4; 95% CI, -28.2 to -12.6). The therapeutic effect was maintained up to week 24 (mean between-group difference, -18.3; 95% CI, -26.4 to -10.1). Tinnitus worsened in 1 patient in the sham-control app group. No serious adverse events or device malfunctions with potential for health hazards were observed. Conclusions and Relevance: This randomized clinical trial found that use of a tinnitus therapeutic app resulted in substantial and lasting improvement in tinnitus-related distress and functional impairment. The therapeutic app may serve as an effective and standardized intervention for individuals with chronic tinnitus. Trial Registration: jrct.mhlw.go.jp Identifier: 032230359.

Indexed as

Cognitive Behavioral TherapyMobile ApplicationsTinnitusChronic DiseaseDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedQuality of LifeTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID42096236
PMCPMC13154027

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

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.