OTITIS-MEDIA HEALTH-STATUS EVALUATION - A PILOT-STUDY FOR THE INVESTIGATION OF COST-EFFECTIVE OUTCOMES OF RECURRENT ACUTE OTITIS-MEDIA TREATMENT

There are no reliable and valid instruments that measure otitis media clinical or functional health status in children ages 1 to 3 years. Th is study develops and tests three new instruments of clinical and func tional otitis health status: the Otitis Media Clinical Severity Index (OM-CSI), the Otitis Media Functional Status Questionnaire (OM-FSQ), a nd the Otitis Media Diary (OMD). The OM-CSI was found to be a reliable measure of clinical acute otitis media (AOM) severity, with high inte rnal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) scores, as well as an accurate ind icator of AOM severity. The OM-FSQ and Ohio were demonstrated to be re liable and valid measures of otitis-specific functional health status, with reproducible scores over time, high internal consistency a score s, and high correlation with measures of AOM clinical severity and oth er functional health status instruments. These three new instruments w ere also sensitive and specific indicators of AOM episodes.