A Comparative Research on Clinical Utility of Tinnitus Evaluation Questionnaire and Chinese version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory

LIU Jieheng; ZHANG Haixin; CHEN Yanfang; LIN Wenzhi; LIU Jinguang; LIU Peng

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1672-2922.2025.08.007

Abstract：Objective To compare clinical practicability between the Tinnitus Evaluation Questionnaire(TEQ)and the Chinese version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory(THI-C).Methods Patients with tinnitus as the primary complaint(n=283)seen at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Head and Neck Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine(GZUTCM)from January to December 2023 were assessed of the severity of their tinnitus using the THI-C and TEQ their initial visit,both by the patients themselves and by medical staff.The assessment was repeated at each follow-up visit,and the time spent on the assessment was recorded.The operability was assessed by the rate of completion in both self-and medical assessments as well as the assessment time,and the reliability was examined by the consistency between self-and medical assessments.The effect size(ES)and minimal clinically important difference(MCID)were calculated to determine their feasibility in outcomes evaluation.Results The rate of THI-C self-assessment completion was 42.76%at the first visit(92.23%for medical evaluation),and 40.83%～53.97%at the second to sixth visits.The rate of TEQ self-evaluation completion was 97.88%at the initial visit,(100%for medical assessment at the first visit and each follow-up visit).The time needed for THI-C self-evaluation(3.90±2.44 min)was significantly lower than medical evaluation(8.09±1.77 min)(P<0.001),while that for TEQ self-evaluation(1.84±1.09 min)was slightly higher than medical evaluation(1.31±0.49 min)(P<0.001).The score of THI-C self-evaluation(47.95±26.14)was significantly higher than medical evaluation(39.21±21.45)(P<0.001),and the difference was less than 8 points in only 46 cases(16.25%).The TEQ self-score(12.69±3.53)was also slightly higher than medical evaluation(12.14±3.08)(P<0.001),with the difference being less than 2 points in 173 cases(61.13%).The ES was 0.159 and 0.854 for patients showing improvement or significant improvement as measured by the THI-C,respectively,and 0.197,1.005 and 1.883 for patients showing no change,improvement or significant improvement as measured by the TEQ,respectively.The MCID was 19 by subjective calibration and 13 by 1/2 standard deviation when calculated using the THI-C,and 2 by both methods when using the TEQ,respectively.Conclusion THI-C is less practical in clinical evaluation as routine self-evaluation,whereas TEQ is feasible and reliable in routine medical evaluation,and can be used for outcomes evaluation.