The Fudan Tinnitus Relieving System (FTRS): The initial results of a smartphone application for tinnitus management and treatment

OBJECTIVE: Tinnitus is highly prevalent in the population, but there are currently few effective therapeutic interventions. Mobile applications (apps) might be helpful in tinnitus diagnosis and treatment by offering sound or music tools as well as questionnaires. We assessed the efficacy of a free, publicly available smartphone app (Fudan Tinnitus Relieving System, FTRS) for self-management of tinnitus and related symptoms. METHODS: Among a total of 3564 participants recruited primarily online, 2744 patients had complete information at baseline and were an average of 37 years old and were 59.84 % male. Web-administered self-report measures THI, HADS, AIS, and other multi-dimensional scales were conducted at baseline and at 1 month and 2 months following treatment. Data from 54 participants who completed continuous follow-up were used for the final efficacy analysis and longitudinal analysis. RESULTS: Following the intent-to-treat principle, t-tests revealed that the distribution of patients and the tinnitus features of patients of different genders were heterogeneous. One-way ANOVA showed that after using the FTRS app, THI scores showed a decreasing trend (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: FTRS use resulted in significantly greater improvements in tinnitus and other outcomes relative to their baseline condition before treatment. Given the ubiquity of smartphones, FTRS may provide a wide-reaching and convenient public health intervention for individuals with tinnitus symptoms.