Oto Health: a clinically-validated digital CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) platform for tinnitus

七分之一的人都患有耳鸣，通常表现为耳内出现高音调的铃声或嘶嘶声。它可以显着影响生活质量、睡眠、注意力和情绪。耳鸣也是社会的一大负担；耳鸣的全科医生预约数达到 100 万，NHS 每年花费约 7.5 亿英镑，加上生产力的损失以及其他成本，耳鸣每年使英国经济损失 2.7 亿英镑。 耳鸣通常无法治愈，但通过认知行为疗法 (CBT)、护理标准 (SoC)，患者可以训练自己不受令人不快的声音干扰地生活。然而，治疗耳鸣的 CBT 很难获得，因为它并不广泛，患者需要长途跋涉，平均要等待一年，在英国一些地区甚至多达两个。通常唯一的选择是私人治疗 - 昂贵且对许多人来说不可行。rnrn当前 CBT 的资源密集型交付使耳鸣治疗成为引入数字技术的主要空间，但当前没有解决方案提供经过临床验证的远程 CBT 计划。 Oto 开发了一个数字程序，允许耳鸣患者直接从智能手机获得基于证据的治疗，从而大大提高了可及性。他们无需等待转诊给专家，而是可以在方便的时间在舒适的家中立即获得一线治疗。因此，患者可以控制耳鸣，从而提高生活质量。rnrn该项目旨在进一步开发我们的解决方案，并在与剑桥大学合作的临床试验环境中，测试其取代治疗师提供的 CBT 作为更容易获得、廉价和有效的选择的能力。这将使 Oto 通过商业合作伙伴关系和 NHS 的采用进行扩张，最终减轻全科医生和专科服务的负担，为服务提供商节省成本，并减少患者的漫长等待时间。

Tinnitus affects 1 in 7 of us and is commonly experienced as a high-pitched ringing or hissing in the ear. It can significantly impact quality of life, sleep, concentration, and mood. Tinnitus is also a large burden on society; with 1m+ GP appointments for tinnitus, the NHS spends c.£750m annually, and with loss of productivity among other costs, tinnitus robs the UK economy of £2.7b each year.rnrnThere is usually no cure for tinnitus, but with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), the standard-of-care (SoC), patients can train themselves to live undisturbed by the unpleasant sound. CBT for tinnitus, however, is difficult to access because it is not widely available, with patients travelling long distances, facing waiting lists averaging a year, up to two in some UK areas. Often the only option is private therapy - expensive and not viable for many.rnrnThe current resource-intensive delivery of CBT makes tinnitus therapy a prime space to introduce digital technology, but no current solution provides a clinically-validated remote CBT programme. Oto has built a digital programme that greatly enhances accessibility by allowing tinnitus sufferers to access evidence-based therapy directly from their smartphones. Instead of waiting to be referred to a specialist, they can immediately access first-line treatment from the comfort of their own homes, at a convenient time. Patients thus take control of their tinnitus and, as a result, improve their quality of life.rnrnThis project aims to further develop our solution and, in a clinical trial setting in collaboration with University of Cambridge, test its ability to supplant therapist-provided CBT as a more accessible, inexpensive and effective option. This will enable Oto's expansion via commercial partnerships and adoption by the NHS, ultimately reducing the burden on GPs and specialist services, representing cost savings for service providers, and reducing long waiting times for patients.