The Current State of Evidence Regarding Audiologist-Provided Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for the Management of Tinnitus: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for tinnitus management is effective and widely recommended by national and international practice guidelines. However, all the evidence for CBT so far has come from Psychologist-led programs, and the potential role of Audiologists in providing CBT for tinnitus remains an important consideration.

OBJECTIVES

This study sets out to systematically map the body of literature relating to Audiologist-provided CBT for tinnitus, in order to summarise the current state of evidence and determine directions for future research.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Sources were eligible for inclusion if they addressed the concept of Audiologist-provided CBT. No restrictions were imposed on the date of publication. Only sources published in English were included.

SOURCES OF EVIDENCE

A wide range of primary and secondary literature sources were sought.

CHARTING METHODS

Data from included sources were charted systematically using a pre-designed data charting form.

RESULTS

Of the 267 identified sources, 30 were included in this review. This included both primary and secondary literature sources. Primary sources were compared and showed variation across Audiologist-provided CBT programs both in terms of procedural details and from a research standpoint.

CONCLUSIONS

A growing body of evidence has addressed the concept of Audiologist-provided CBT. Directions for future research include further primary research with an increased focus on face-to-face Audiologist-provided CBT, and a comparison of the outcomes of Audiologist-provided vs. Psychologist-provided CBT.