Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the Chinese tinnitus functional index.

OBJECTIVES: To establish the reliability, validity and responsiveness of the Chinese version of the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI-CH) in measuring tinnitus severity in Hong Kong Chinese population. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional psychometric validation study. STUDY SAMPLE: Subjects were 124 adult Chinese who attended the audiology clinics in a hospital setting for tinnitus treatment. RESULTS: The TFI-CH showed good internal consistency reliability (α = 0.94) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.84). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the TFI-CH has eight factors which are exactly the same as the original version. The TFI-CH has good convergent and divergent validity as supported by the strong correlation of the overall scale with other tinnitus-related distress measures (r = 0.86, p < 0.01) and weaker correlation with the general health status measures. Moderate to strong effect sizes obtained 3 months after initial visit indicated that the TFI-CH is responsive in detecting change in tinnitus suffering. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrate that the TFI-CH is a reliable and valid measure which should be useful in both clinical and research settings for intake assessment and for measuring treatment-related changes in tinnitus.

A prospective randomised controlled study on efficacies of acupuncture and steroid in treatment of idiopathic peripheral facial paralysis.

OBJECTIVE: A randomised controlled trial was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in comparison with steroid in treatment of idiopathic peripheral facial paralysis (Bell's palsy). METHODS: A total of 119 patients attending Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic of Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital from February 2003 to December 2005 were randomly allocated to groups of acupuncture, steroid and control (conventional expectant treatment). There were 53 in the steroid group, 28 in the acupuncture group and 38 in the control group. Patients were assessed weekly by blinded assessors, using the House-Brackmann facial nerve grading system. RESULTS: The efficacy of treatment in three groups was compared, in terms of degree of recovery and speed of recovery. Intention-to-treat analyses were performed. Results were analysed with SPSS software. Distribution of initial grade on presentation was analysed with the Pearson chi-square test and showed uneven distribution in the three groups in the intention-to-treat analysis. The overall improvement (grade 3 or better) was 86.9% in the steroid group, 96.4% in the acupuncture group and 89.5% in the control group respectively. However, the difference in degree of recovery and speed of recovery in the three groups was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The efficacies of acupuncture, steroid and conventional expectant treatment (natural course of recovery) in idiopathic peripheral facial palsy (Bell's palsy) in the study were the same with respect to the degree of recovery and speed of recovery.

Psychometric properties of a Chinese (Cantonese) version of the Tinnitus Questionnaire.

The objective of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of a Chinese (Cantonese) version of the Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ), which is a psychometric self-report measure of perceived tinnitus-related distress. The subjects were 114 adults who attended audiology clinics with a primary or secondary complaint of tinnitus. They completed the Chinese versions of the TQ (TQ-CH), Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The subjective severity of tinnitus and tinnitus-related problems were scored using rating scales. The TQ-CH and its subscales had good internal consistency reliability estimates (alpha=0.75-0.94), which were comparable to those of the original version. Significant correlations were observed between the TQ-CH and psychological distress, tinnitus-related problem ratings, and severity ratings. Factor analysis showed the high construct validity of the TQ-CH subscales. High test-retest reliablity (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.96) was observed. The results suggest that the TQ-CH is a reliable and valid measure of general tinnitus-related distress that can be used in clinical settings to quantify the impact of tinnitus on daily living.