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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Semin Hear 2024; 45(01): 029-039
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1770138
Review Article

Rehabilitation Service Needs and Preferences among Veterans with Tinnitus: A Qualitative Study

Khaya D. Clark
1   VA Rehabilitation Research & Development Service, National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, VA Portland Health Care System (P5-NCRAR), Portland, Oregon
2   Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health and Science University, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
3   Department of Defense, Hearing Center of Excellence, San Antonio, Texas
,
Tara Zaugg
1   VA Rehabilitation Research & Development Service, National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, VA Portland Health Care System (P5-NCRAR), Portland, Oregon
,
Susan DeFrancesco
4   VA Health Services Research & Development Service Center of Innovation, Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care, VA Portland Health Care System (R&D 66), Portland, Oregon
5   Oregon Health and Science University – Portland State University School of Public Health, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
,
Christine Kaelin
1   VA Rehabilitation Research & Development Service, National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, VA Portland Health Care System (P5-NCRAR), Portland, Oregon
,
James A. Henry
1   VA Rehabilitation Research & Development Service, National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, VA Portland Health Care System (P5-NCRAR), Portland, Oregon
6   Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
,
Kathleen F. Carlson
1   VA Rehabilitation Research & Development Service, National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, VA Portland Health Care System (P5-NCRAR), Portland, Oregon
4   VA Health Services Research & Development Service Center of Innovation, Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care, VA Portland Health Care System (R&D 66), Portland, Oregon
5   Oregon Health and Science University – Portland State University School of Public Health, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
› Author Affiliations FUNDING/ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We are grateful to the Veterans that shared their time and experiences with us as participants in this research. This research was supported by grants from the Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research and Development, Rehabilitation Research and Development Service (SPiRE 121 RX002216-01 to K.F.C.; C9427S to J.A.H.; and C9230C to M.P.F.). This material is the result of work supported with resources and the use of facilities at the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development (RR&D) National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR) (Center Award #C2361C/I50 RX002361) at the VA Portland Health Care System in Portland, Oregon. Support for this work was also received from the Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute at Oregon Health and Science University (1 UL1 RR024140 01). The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. government.
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Abstract

Tinnitus is prevalent among military Veterans, yet there is a gap between the demand and the provision of services for tinnitus rehabilitation services within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). We sought to understand tinnitus rehabilitation service needs and preferences among Veterans with bothersome tinnitus who use Veterans Affairs (VA) services. We conducted semistructured telephone interviews in 2019 with Veterans diagnosed with tinnitus, who reported it as bothersome. Veterans were purposively sampled to represent national VA users, with and without comorbid traumatic brain injury (TBI), and who were or were not interested in tinnitus rehabilitation services. Qualitative data were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. Among 40 Veterans interviewed (32 men, 8 women; 50% with TBI), 72.5% endorsed being somewhat/very likely to be interested in tinnitus rehabilitation services while 27.5% were very/somewhat unlikely. Themes related to Veterans' interest in tinnitus rehabilitation services included barriers and facilitators to participation and preferences for receiving tinnitus services (e.g., individual vs. group-based; in-person vs. remote access). Our findings highlight factors that influence Veterans' reported need and preferences for, and readiness to engage in, rehabilitation services for tinnitus. Personalized or otherwise adaptable approaches to program delivery may help ensure maximal uptake among Veterans.

Keywords

audiology - auditory rehabilitation - hearing healthcare - tinnitus - veterans


Publication History

Article published online:
22 June 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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