Background: Though clinical guidelines for assessment and treatment of chronic
subjective tinnitus do exist, a comprehensive review of those guidelines has
not been performed. The objective of this review was to identify current
clinical guidelines, and compare their recommendations for the assessment and
treatment of subjective tinnitus in adults. Method: We systematically searched
a range of sources for clinical guidelines (as defined by the Institute of
Medicine, United States) for the assessment and/or treatment of subjective
tinnitus in adults. No restrictions on language or year of publication were
applied to guidelines. Results: Clinical guidelines from Denmark, Germany,
Sweden, The Netherlands, and the United States were included in the review.
There was a high level of consistency across the guidelines with regard to
recommendations for audiometric assessment, physical examination, use of a
validated questionnaire(s) to assess tinnitus related distress, and referral
to a psychologist when required. Cognitive behavioral treatment for tinnitus
related distress, use of hearing aids in instances of hearing loss and
recommendations against the use of medicines were consistent across the
included guidelines. Differences between the guidelines centered on the use of
imaging in assessment procedures and sound therapy as a form of treatment for
tinnitus distress respectively. Conclusion: Given the level of commonality
across tinnitus guidelines from different countries the development of a
European guideline for the assessment and treatment of subjective tinnitus in
adults seems feasible. This guideline would have the potential to benefit the
large number of clinicians in countries where clinical guidelines do not yet
exist, and would support standardization of treatment for patients across
Europe
