The fudan tinnitus relieving system application for tinnitus management
Abstract Objective Tinnitus is a highly prevalent hearing disorder, and the burden of tinnitus diagnosis and treatment is very heavy, especially in China. In order to better benefit the majority of tinnitus patients, we developed a new mobile app based on our patented invention – named the Fudan Tin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-04-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-023-02164-w |
| _version_ | 1797840982774906880 |
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| author | Dongmei Tang Haiyan Wang Dantong Gu Lei Ye Shan Sun Huawei Li |
| author_facet | Dongmei Tang Haiyan Wang Dantong Gu Lei Ye Shan Sun Huawei Li |
| author_sort | Dongmei Tang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Objective Tinnitus is a highly prevalent hearing disorder, and the burden of tinnitus diagnosis and treatment is very heavy, especially in China. In order to better benefit the majority of tinnitus patients, we developed a new mobile app based on our patented invention – named the Fudan Tinnitus Relieving System (FTRS) – for tinnitus management. The FTRS app aims to alleviate patients’ tinnitus symptoms using customized sound therapy, to evaluate the treatment effect, to provide a doctor-patient communication platform, and to support tinnitus rehabilitation and auditory health. Methods In this study, we introduced the major functions of the FTRS app, analyzed the geographical distribution of users around China, and performed an analysis on the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with tinnitus, including age and tinnitus position, duration, frequency, and severity in both men and women based on the user information collected by the FTRS. The data for 22,867 participants (males: 13,715; females: 9,152) were included in the statistical analysis. Results The FTRS app has been popular with tinnitus patients since its launch in May 2018 with its integrated pitch-matching test, individualized sound therapy, follow-up assessment, and provision of easy-to-understand science and education for tinnitus. The users were located throughout Mainland China but primarily concentrated in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Shandong provinces. We observed gender differences regarding age and tinnitus frequency, severity, and position among the app’s users. The FTRS has not only facilitated patients’ access to treatment at times and places that are convenient for them, but also provides a large amount of data based on user feedback in order to support clinical tinnitus research. Conclusions Compared with traditional face-to-face medical treatment, the FTRS greatly reduced medical costs and enabled patients with tinnitus to arrange their own treatment times. At the same time, the FTRS has provided standardized tinnitus data that have laid a foundation for clinical research on tinnitus. However, because of differences in the popularity and utilization of smart devices, FTRS user data might only reflect the situation of tinnitus patients who can effectively use smart devices. Therefore, the findings of this study need to be interpreted with caution. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T16:23:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0e40c0d78eed42c9b73ff3ed93b0926f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6947 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T16:23:32Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making |
| spelling | doaj.art-0e40c0d78eed42c9b73ff3ed93b0926f2023-04-23T11:19:32ZengBMCBMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making1472-69472023-04-0123111410.1186/s12911-023-02164-wThe fudan tinnitus relieving system application for tinnitus managementDongmei Tang0Haiyan Wang1Dantong Gu2Lei Ye3Shan Sun4Huawei Li5ENT institute and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan UniversityENT institute and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan UniversityClinical Research Unit of Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan UniversityClinical Research Unit of Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan UniversityENT institute and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan UniversityENT institute and Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan UniversityAbstract Objective Tinnitus is a highly prevalent hearing disorder, and the burden of tinnitus diagnosis and treatment is very heavy, especially in China. In order to better benefit the majority of tinnitus patients, we developed a new mobile app based on our patented invention – named the Fudan Tinnitus Relieving System (FTRS) – for tinnitus management. The FTRS app aims to alleviate patients’ tinnitus symptoms using customized sound therapy, to evaluate the treatment effect, to provide a doctor-patient communication platform, and to support tinnitus rehabilitation and auditory health. Methods In this study, we introduced the major functions of the FTRS app, analyzed the geographical distribution of users around China, and performed an analysis on the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with tinnitus, including age and tinnitus position, duration, frequency, and severity in both men and women based on the user information collected by the FTRS. The data for 22,867 participants (males: 13,715; females: 9,152) were included in the statistical analysis. Results The FTRS app has been popular with tinnitus patients since its launch in May 2018 with its integrated pitch-matching test, individualized sound therapy, follow-up assessment, and provision of easy-to-understand science and education for tinnitus. The users were located throughout Mainland China but primarily concentrated in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Shandong provinces. We observed gender differences regarding age and tinnitus frequency, severity, and position among the app’s users. The FTRS has not only facilitated patients’ access to treatment at times and places that are convenient for them, but also provides a large amount of data based on user feedback in order to support clinical tinnitus research. Conclusions Compared with traditional face-to-face medical treatment, the FTRS greatly reduced medical costs and enabled patients with tinnitus to arrange their own treatment times. At the same time, the FTRS has provided standardized tinnitus data that have laid a foundation for clinical research on tinnitus. However, because of differences in the popularity and utilization of smart devices, FTRS user data might only reflect the situation of tinnitus patients who can effectively use smart devices. Therefore, the findings of this study need to be interpreted with caution.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-023-02164-wFudan Tinnitus Relieving System (FTRS)Tinnitus managementMobile appSound therapy |
| spellingShingle | Dongmei Tang Haiyan Wang Dantong Gu Lei Ye Shan Sun Huawei Li The fudan tinnitus relieving system application for tinnitus management BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making Fudan Tinnitus Relieving System (FTRS) Tinnitus management Mobile app Sound therapy |
| title | The fudan tinnitus relieving system application for tinnitus management |
| title_full | The fudan tinnitus relieving system application for tinnitus management |
| title_fullStr | The fudan tinnitus relieving system application for tinnitus management |
| title_full_unstemmed | The fudan tinnitus relieving system application for tinnitus management |
| title_short | The fudan tinnitus relieving system application for tinnitus management |
| title_sort | fudan tinnitus relieving system application for tinnitus management |
| topic | Fudan Tinnitus Relieving System (FTRS) Tinnitus management Mobile app Sound therapy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-023-02164-w |
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