The Otitis Media-6 questionnaire: psychometric properties with emphasis on factor structure and interpretability

Abstract

BackgroundThe Otitis Media-6 questionnaire (OM-6) is the most frequently used instrument to measure health related quality of life in children with otitis media. The main objectives of this study are 1) to translate and cross-culturally adapt the OM-6 into Danish, and 2) to assess important psychometric properties including structural validity and interpretability of the OM-6 in a Danish population of children suffering from otitis media.MethodsThe OM-6 was translated and cross-culturally adapted according to international guidelines. A longitudinal validation study enrolled 491 children and their families, and the measurement properties of the OM-6 were evaluated using the Cosmin taxonomy. The properties assessed were construct and structural validity (confirmatory factor analysis) including internal consistency, reproducibility (test-retest reliability and smallest detectable change), responsiveness and interpretability.ResultsA total of 435 children were eligible to participate in the study. Analyses of structural validity and internal consistency indicated that parent appraisal of hearing and speech problems may be problematic. Both scales showed similarly good test-retest reliability and construct validity, were able to discriminate between diagnostic subgroups and responsive to change. Cut-off values of 16.7 and 30.0 were found to represent minimal important change for the patients.ConclusionsThe Danish version of the OM-6 is a reliable, valid, responsive and interpretable questionnaire to measure quality of life in children with otitis media. This study sheds light on possible weaknesses of the instrument that needs to be acknowledged in the utilization of the instrument. However, despite these issues our results support the continuing use of OM-6 as a 1-factor functional health scale with a separate global health rating. Furthermore, indications of values representing minimal important change as perceived by the respondent are presented.

Renzi Score for Obstructed Defecation Syndrome - Validation of the Portuguese Version According to the Cosmin Checklist

“…Subsequently, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed. The area under the curve (AUC), a measure of responsiveness, was considered as the probability of correctly classifying the "importantly improved" from "stable" patients, and a good discrimination is considered if AUC >0.70 (17,26) . For determining MIC, optimum ROC cut-off point of the change score was obtained by weighting sensitivity and specificity equally.…”

The effects of ventilation tubes versus no ventilation tubes for recurrent acute otitis media or chronic otitis media with effusion in 9 to 36 month old Greenlandic children, the SIUTIT trial: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

“…Number of episodes of acute otitis media during the 2 years after the randomization, based on medical records, evaluated by designated assessors blinded to the interventionQuality of life, measured on a 0–100 scale by the validated Otitis Media-6 questionnaire [29, 30] and the Caregiver Impact Questionnaire [31, 32], assessed at randomization, 3 months after randomization, 1 year after randomization and at the end of the trial, 2 years after randomizationNumber of episodes during the 2 years after randomization where oral or intravenous antibiotics have been administered, based on medical records, evaluated by designated assessors blinded to the interventionProportion of children with unilateral or bilateral tympanic membrane perforations in the intervention and control group at the end of the trial 2 years after randomization, based on otoscopical photos, which will be anonymized and evaluated by an ENT specialist without knowledge of the interventionSerious adverse events during the 2 years after the randomization: any adverse event that results in death, is life threatening, requires hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization or results in persistent or significant disability or incapacity [33] …”

A systematic review of patient-reported outcome measures in paediatric otolaryngology

“…This is emphasised in the otolaryngology literature from the extensive number of tools used for certain conditions; for example, otitis media. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] When assessing a patient-reported outcome measure, it is crucial to review the six key areas of: validity, test-retest reliability, precision, responsiveness, acceptance and response rate, and feasibility. [1][2][3] Regarding validity, one should consider whether the patient-reported outcome measure assesses what it is supposed to.…”

“…[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] The Otitis Media Outcome-22 ('OMO-22') questionnaire was another prominent tool. 10,12 These tools were principally discriminated by their number of questions, providing a trade-off between response rate and sensitivity to change (lower in longer tools), versus the collection of what may be important information (easier in longer tools).…”