Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To test the validity and test–retest reliability of the Dutch translation of the Chronic Otitis Media Questionnaire 12 (COMQ-12).

MATERIALS and METHODS: Thirty-five healthy individuals with no history of chronic otitis media (COM) received the questionnaire as well as a group of 35 patients with complaints of COM. The healthy participants had to complete the questionnaire twice (control group 1 and control group 2) to estimate the test–retest reliability, and their scores were compared with those of the patients (group 3) to test the validity. 

RESULTS: The overall COMQ-12 score in control group 1 ranged from 0 to 11, in control group 2 from 0 to 6, and in group 3 from 7 to 46. The mean score in control group 1 was 1.43 [standard deviation (SD) 2.30], 1.34 in control group 2 (SD 2.06), and 27.80 in group 3 (SD 10.51). A comparison of the absolute COMQ-12 scores of the two control groups and the patient group showed a significantly higher COMQ-12 score in patients with COM than in controls. The diagnostic accuracy was investigated, and a COMQ-12 cut-off score of 8 was found to have a near-perfect sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing between the presence and absence of COM. The single-measures intraclass correlation coefficient for absolute agreement (ICCAA) was 0.859 (with a 95% confidence interval from 0.738 to 0.926). This clearly exceeded the ICC threshold for acceptable reliability (ICC≥0.75) and therefore confirmed that there was reasonable test–retest reliability when applying the questionnaire to control subjects.

CONCLUSION: The Dutch version of the COMQ-12 has good validity, diagnostic accuracy, and test–retest reliability.