The Dutch national Hoormij Foundation awards a biennial thesis prize for students from all faculties and universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands who have written a master’s thesis in the field of tinnitus (ringing in the ears) or hyperacusis (hypersensitivity to noise). This year, the award was won by DIOPD student Emma Heijerdam for her thesis: “The Tinnitus Toolkit: Empowering people to live with ringing in the ears.”
The jury of renowned doctors and audiologists unanimously chose Emma’s thesis as the best of all entries.
Project Abstract
Tinnitus is the perception of a sound without an external source being present. It can be very intrusive and decrease the reported quality of life. There is no medical solution, but psychological treatment can decrease the experienced hindrance. In order to support people in learning to live with the tinnitus sound independently, the information meeting ‘learning to live with tinnitus’ has been set up at the Erasmus MC. However, not everybody is equally able to apply given information and advices to their personal situation. This project aims to design something to support people in the process of learning to live with tinnitus. The Tinnitus Toolkit At the end the information meeting, the participants will be offered the Tinnitus Toolkit. With this toolkit they can explore and discover which things suit them and are helpful in their personal process of learning to live with tinnitus. The toolkit contains an introduction to many different practical tools from different therapies: there is something in it for everyone.
