Tune out from tinnitus
THE CHARITY Action on Hearing Loss is urging GPs and other health and social care practitioners to ensure patients who are deaf or have hearing loss receive the right communication support. Josephine Swinhoe, managing director at The Tinnitus Clinic, says: “We’re really pleased Action on Hearing Loss is helping raise the profile of the issue of lack of information and support. Many of our patients are highly anxious, having been previously misinformed that there is nothing that can be done about their condition and no possibility of treatment.”
People affected by tinnitus hear a ringing, hissing or whistling sound in one or both of their ears or in their head, not linked to any external source and often caused by exposure to loud noise or ear or head injuries.
A poll of patients recently carried out by The Tinnitus Clinic found 91 per cent of respondents had been told by their healthcare professional that their tinnitus would be something they would have to “learn to live with” or “get used to”.
More than 80 per cent of respondents also reported disappointment at the options for treating the condition offered after consulting their doctor, while 90 per cent did not feel they were given sufficient health advice and guidance.
As a result, The Tinnitus Clinic has published a free online GP guide, with input and contributions from doctors and other healthcare professionals, to help the healthcare industry better understand the condition and what can be done to help those affected.
The guide has been reviewed and approved by ENT consultants and GPs, championed by award-winning Dr Gabriel Hendow as “simple, comprehensive and GP-friendly” and uploaded on to Hull CCG’s Pathway Information Portal, which is available to all GPs, as well as support staff who help with referrals.
“This call from Action on Hearing Loss shows how badly needed resources and guides are,” says Swinhoe.
“It follows a review by NHS England which found that — despite it being a year since the Accessible Information Standard had become law — more than half of the patients who responded to the survey had not noticed any improvement in getting accessible information.
“From a tinnitus point of view, this is concerning, given we have some patients telling us that neither their local GP surgery or different ENT specialists were able to offer any help.
“While there is currently no cure for tinnitus, there are a number of therapies that can help reduce the effects.
“We are the only clinic in the UK to offer the Levo Therapy system for tinnitus, for example. “It uses iPod technology to deliver a personalised tinnitus sound straight to the brain while the patient sleeps, so the brain learns to ignore the hissing or buzzing. Over time, the patient notices the tinnitus sounds less during the day.” Levo is a trademarked app used with a special iPod with custom-made earphones.
“It’s the first time an iPod has been approved for use as a medical device and its innovative use of technology has led it to be honoured in the 2017 Medical Design Excellence Awards, winning gold in the digital health products and mobile medical apps category.”
You do not have to ‘learn to live with’ tinnitus