Arabic otitis media questionnaire for children

Abstract

Background: The most popular tool for assessing children with otitis media’s health-related quality of life is the Otitis Media-6 questionnaire (OM-6). The objectives were to translate and validate the OM-6 questionnaire for kids with OM and investigate the factor structure that underlies it and, also, to apply it to children with OM. Methods: The questionnaire was translated into Arabic language and cross-culturally adapted. Then the content validity of the instruments was tested by a jury of three experts in the field. The instrument was updated to reflect the suggestions, and any necessary changes were finished. Results: Two-hundred children were included. They were divided into two groups: control group, including 100 children with normal middle ear function. The second group was the study group, including 100 children with OM. The comparison of all the items of the questionnaire (symptom of inflammation, manifestations of hearing loss and speech impairment, emotional distress, activity limitations, and caregiver’s concern) between the two studied groups was significant with P-value (< 0.001). Conclusion: The Arabic version of the questionnaire (OM-6A) is valid, responsive, and interpreted with high reliability. It will support patients’ QoL both before and after treatment, as well as the prognosis of functional health status (FHS).