Health news

Tinnitus patients 'short-changed by GPs'

6th February 2012 - Thousands of patients with tinnitusface being completely dismissed or told to 'learn to live with' the condition when they seek help from their GP, says a charity.

The British Tinnitus Association says many doctors do not understand the condition and this leads to patients being given inaccurate information and not being referred to specialist clinics.

Raising awareness

It says it wants to use Tinnitus Awareness Week which starts today to improve the quality of information and help for patients.

People with tinnitus perceive noises, especially when it is quiet around them. These are sensed in one or both ears, or the middle of their head. The word 'tinnitus' comes from the Latin for 'ringing', but the sounds experienced may be buzzing, humming, whistling or music.

Mild tinnitus is common, with about 10% of the population affected at any time, and many more people experiencing it occasionally. Approximately half of patients who have tinnitus find it moderately or severely distressing. For these people problems include not being able to sleep, difficulty concentrating, and depression.

Some experts believe even more people may be affected by the condition, with the Mayo Clinic in the US saying one in five people are affected.

Dissatisfied patients

A recent study into tinnitus care by GPs in the UK, which was carried out at by the University of Nottingham, discovered that around 750,000 consultations take place in surgeries in England each year. The research identified shortcomings in advice given to people as well as referrals to specialist care.

It found that a third of patients were unsatisfied with the treatment they received, mainly because they said their GP did not know enough about tinnitus or because they were insensitive to the effect it had on their quality of life.

"It's not acceptable anymore for GPs just to tell people to go home and learn to live with it," says David Stockdale, chief executive officer of the British Tinnitus Association, who believes many doctors are short-changing their patients. "They really do need to offer practical management techniques to people who have tinnitus and refer on as well when it's appropriate," he tells BootsWebMD.

His charity's helpline hears plenty of examples of people frustrated by inadequate standards of treatment. "One had a GP who told him that only old people got tinnitus and was surprised that they were very young and had it."

In fact, although tinnitus is more common among older people, the condition can occur at any age, including in children.

Specialist help

David Stockdale says: "We had another helpline caller who said their GP wouldn't refer them on as tinnitus wasn't a priority and they wouldn't get seen within the NHS - and then gave information on a private consultant." Wrong advice says David Stockdale: "There is really good tinnitus services available within the NHS, but people really are finding it difficult to access them at the moment."

He says most major hospitals have an audiology department which will usually run a tinnitus service.