Mobile Apps for Tinnitus: Systematic Search in App Stores and Review of Intervention Components and Behavior Change Techniques

Previous research suggests that 14.4% of the general population is affected by tinnitus. For some of those affected, the ear noise is bothersome or associated with severe distress. There are various treatment options such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), sound therapy, or hearing aids. In addition to browser-based online interventions, mobile apps have been introduced as novel treatment approaches....

No immediate practice change is warranted, but audiologists counseling tinnitus patients should be aware that the quality and evidence base of commercially available tinnitus apps varies widely; this review can help guide app recommendations.

With self-managed digital tools increasingly used for tinnitus care, understanding which intervention components and behavior-change techniques are actually present in consumer apps is essential for evidence-based recommendations.

1. 01Systematic search of major app stores identified the landscape of mobile apps targeting tinnitus management.
2. 02Apps were coded for intervention components (e.g., sound therapy, CBT elements, relaxation) and behavior change techniques.
3. 03Findings reveal heterogeneity in therapeutic approaches and evidence quality across available tinnitus apps.
4. 04The review provides a framework audiologists can use to evaluate and recommend tinnitus apps to patients.
5. 05Published in a peer-reviewed journal (JMIR mHealth, DOI: 10.2196/66151), adding methodological rigor to the analysis.

PMID

42155139

DOI

10.2196/66151.

Journal

JMIR mHealth and uHealth

Publication type

systematic_review

Evidence level

1a

Population

Mobile applications for tinnitus available in major consumer app stores

Intervention

Mobile apps for tinnitus (intervention components and behavior change techniques)