Cost-effectiveness of multidisciplinary management of Tinnitus at a specialized Tinnitus centre.
BACKGROUND
Tinnitus is a common chronic health condition that affects 10% to 20% of the general population. Among severe sufferers it causes disability in various areas. As a result of the tinnitus, quality of life is often impaired. At present there is no cure or uniformly effective treatment, leading to fragmentized and costly tinnitus care. Evidence suggests that a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach in treating tinnitus is effective. The main objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness, costs, and cost-effectiveness of a comprehensive treatment provided by a specialized tinnitus center versus usual care. This paper describes the study protocol.


METHODS
In a randomized controlled clinical trial 198 tinnitus patients will be randomly assigned to a specialized tinnitus care group or a usual care group. Adult tinnitus sufferers referred to the audiological centre are eligible. Included patients will be followed for 12 months. Primary outcome measure is generic quality of life (measured with the Health Utilities Index Mark III). Secondary outcomes are severity of tinnitus, general distress, tinnitus cognitions, tinnitus specific fear, and costs. Based on health state utility outcome data the number of patients to include is 198. Economic evaluation will be performed from a societal perspective.


CONCLUSIONS
This is, to our knowledge, the first randomized controlled trial that evaluates a comprehensive treatment of tinnitus and includes a full economic evaluation from a societal perspective. If this intervention proves to be effective and cost-effective, implementation of this intervention is considered and anticipated.


BACKGROUND
The trial has been registered at ClinicalTrial.gov. The trial registration number is NCT00733044.
Cima
Rilana
R
Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. r.cima@dmkep.unimaas.nl
Joore
Manuela
M
Maes
Iris
I
Scheyen
Dyon
D
Refaie
Amr El
AE
Baguley
David M
DM
Vlaeyen
Johan Ws
JW
Anteunis
Lucien
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D008511:Medicine; D009426:Netherlands; D011788:Quality of Life; D013038:Specialization; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult