Telephone Tinnitus Education for Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

November 30, 2016 updated by: VA Office of Research and Development

Telehealth Tinnitus Intervention for Patients With TBI

This study continues the investigators' efforts to develop tinnitus management protocols for Veterans. More specifically, this study developed and evaluated an adaptation of Progressive Tinnitus Management (PTM) for use as a telephone-based program for Veterans and military personnel who have experienced TBI. This adaptation, called Tele-PTM, is a telephone-based program and has the potential of providing needed tinnitus services to Veterans with and without TBI for a relatively small cost and with minimal impact on individual VA hospitals.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is strongly associated with tinnitus. Tinnitus management for Veterans and military members with TBI has become a critical concern. The investigators' research has focused on developing effective, evidence-based methods of tinnitus management for Veterans. These efforts led to the development of Progressive Tinnitus Management (PTM). The investigators completed a pilot study to adapt PTM to meet the unique tinnitus management needs of Veterans and military members with TBI using a novel home-based telehealth program called Tele-PTM. Preliminary data analyses indicated that Tele-PTM is effective. The present study modified the PTM program in accordance with pilot study findings and evaluated Tele-PTM using a randomized clinical trial design.

The 4-year study was based at the VA National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR). Tele-PTM was implemented and evaluated in a randomized clinical trial. Qualified candidates were randomized to receive either Tele-PTM or Wait-List Control (WLC). All subjects completed questionnaires at baseline and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-baseline. The WLC group received Tele-PTM after completing the 6-month questionnaires. The primary outcome measure was the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI).

Tele-PTM involves a series of seven telephone appointments, conducted at approximately 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 weeks, and 3 and 6 months after enrollment is finalized. Telephone education was provided by the Study Psychologist at weeks 1, 3, and 5, and month 6; and by the Study Audiologist at weeks 2 and 4, and month 3.

Tele-PTM has the potential of providing needed tinnitus services to Veterans and active military personnel across the country for a relatively small cost and with minimal impact on individual VA hospitals.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

205

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Oregon
      • Portland, Oregon, United States, 97239
        • VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Inclusion criteria include:

  • "clinically significant" tinnitus according to the initial score on the Tinnitus and Hearing Survey (THS) (minimum total score of 4 on section A; if score is 4-6, one item must be at least 3);
  • demonstrates understanding of the requirements of the study (based on adequate responses to the questions by the RC that assess capacity-to-consent);
  • has had a hearing test within the past 2 years (and was fitted with hearing aids if appropriate); and
  • motivated and capable of participating (including ability to communicate over the telephone in English).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Callers who do not meet all of these criteria will be excluded from study participation.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Tele-PTM
Telephone-based Progressive Tinnitus Management (Tele-PTM) is a novel home-based telehealth program that involves a series of seven telephone appointments, conducted at approximately 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 weeks, and 3 and 6 months after enrollment is finalized. Telephone education was provided by the Study Psychologist at weeks 1, 3, and 5, and month 6; and by the Study Audiologist at weeks 2 and 4, and month 3.
Procedure: Tele-PTM
Telephone-based Progressive Tinnitus Management (Tele-PTM) is a novel home-based telehealth program that involves a series of seven telephone appointments, conducted at approximately 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 weeks, and 3 and 6 months after enrollment is finalized. Telephone education was provided by the Study Psychologist at weeks 1, 3, and 5, and month 6; and by the Study Audiologist at weeks 2 and 4, and month 3.
Other: Wait List Control
Wait List Control subjects received Tele-PTM after completing the 6-month questionnaires. Participants assigned to Wait List Control were instructed that they could receive any available tinnitus services, and that they would receive Tele-PTM following completion of the 3- and 6-month questionnaires.
Procedure: Wait List Control
Wait List Control subjects received Tele-PTM after completing the 6-month questionnaires. Participants assigned to Wait List Control were instructed that they could receive any available tinnitus services, and that they would receive Tele-PTM following completion of the 3- and 6-month questionnaires.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Tinnitus Functional Index
Time Frame: Baseline, 6 months
The TFI served as the primary outcome measure. The TFI is a 25-item self-report questionnaire that has documented validity both for scaling the severity and negative impact of tinnitus, and for measuring treatment-related changes in tinnitus (responsiveness) (Meikle et al., 2012). The total score for the TFI ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater problems with tinnitus. The TFI has excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .97) and high test-retest reliability (r = .86) (Meikle et al., 2012). The authors of the TFI estimated that a 13-point decrease on the TFI for an individual is likely to reflect a change that feels meaningful to the person.
Baseline, 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

VA Office of Research and Development

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: James A. Henry, PhD, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

January 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2015

Study Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 20, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 20, 2010

First Posted (Estimate)

May 24, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

January 26, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 30, 2016

Last Verified

November 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • C7452-I

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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