The International Tinnitus Journal

Tinnitus Outcome Profile and Tinnitus Control

This reports recommends the consideration of development of additional outcome measures to be used as a battery of subjective self-assessment questionnaires for patients with tinnitus. The goal is improved overall care for the tinnitus patient. Five existing outcome measurements have been incorporated into this profile, which is called the tinnitus outcome profile: the tinnitus intensity index, the tinnitus annoyance index, the tinnitus stress test, the tinnitus handicap inventory, and the measurement of depression scale. Frequently, there is an inconsistency between the self-report outcomes and the patient's subjective report to the doctor. This study reports outcomes based on the tinnitus outcome profile for 19 patients who were seen for evaluation and treatment of subjecti ve idiopathic tinnitus of the severe disabling type and who completed a treatment protocol called receptor-targeted therapy directed to the GABAA receptor. The drugs used were gabapentin and clonazepam. Using the 0.05 significance level, the tinnitus intensity index, tinnitus annoyance index, and tinnitus stress test scores all declined significantly over time. In contrast, there was no significant change in either the tinnitus handicap inventory or the measurement of depression scale. The percent of tinnitus control reported to the doctor by the patient did not appear to be correlated with the degree of change measured on the tinnitus outcome profile.