A novel Turkish instrument for assessing quality of life in chronic otitis media - translation and validation of Zurich chronic middle ear inventory

Authors: BELGİN TUTAR, ZİYA SALTÜRK, GÜLER BERKİTEN, MUHAMMET ENİS EKİNCİOĞLU, SEMİH KARAKETİR, MELİS ECE ARKAN, MUHAMMED FATİH AKGÜN, AYÇA BAŞKADEM YILMAZER, ERCAN KULAK, DAVİD BAECHİNGER, YAVUZ UYAR

Abstract: Background/aim: The Zurich Chronic Middle Ear Questionnaire (ZCMEI-21) is a newly-developed German-language questionnaire. The purpose of this study was to analyze the quality of life (QoL) of chronic otitis media (COM) patients and translate, transculturally adapt, and validate the ZCMEI-21 into Turkish. Materials and methods: Based on internationally accepted guidelines, the ZCMEI-21 was translated into Turkish. To assess its validity, the total score of the ZCMEI-21-Tur was compared to the scores taken from the original validation study and a question that was directly related to the health-related QoL (HRQoL), as well as the general criterion EQ-5D-5L. Questionnaires were completed by healthy volunteers and the results were evaluated statistically. Results: A total of 80 COM patients and 40 healthy volunteers were prospectively enrolled in this study. Regarding internal consistency, the questionnaire showed a Cronbach α of 0.94, which indicated high internal consistency. Moreover, internal consistency was also determined to be excellent for the Cronbach α of the individual subscales, as follows: ear sign symptoms, 0.79; hearing, 0.83; psychosocial impact, 0.91, and medical resources, 0.84. Conclusions: The ZCMEI-21 was translated into Turkish and validated. Therefore, the ZCMEI-21-Tur was suitable for use in assessing HRQoL in adult patients with COM.

Keywords: ZCMEI-21, chronic otitis media, quality of life, Turkish

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